Comment

Abstract

logical relatedness of populations) and the rate of technology adoption. The underlying motivation is the idea that populations that are more closely related genealogically will share a variety of traits and customs; similarity in those traits will make it easier to share technology and transmit ideas. The specifi c test is to see whether there is an econometrically robust link between genetic distance between populations— measured relative to the lead country—and distance to the technology frontier. The authors fi nd that this relationship exists and that genetic distance explains more of the variation in technological differences between countries than does a measure of geographical distance between countries. This is a tantalizing result: populations that are similar will fi nd it easier to share ideas and therefore will share similar technologies. Conversely, large differences across populations will pose a barrier to the transmission of technology. Like many tantalizing things, however, this result left me craving more. Following is a list of things I would have liked the paper to develop more fully: