The paradox of “Malthusian urbanization”: urbanization without growth in the Republic of Genoa, 1300–1800

IF 1.2 1区历史学 Q3 ECONOMICS

European Review of Economic History Pub Date : 2022-02-02 DOI:10.1093/ereh/heab027

Luigi Oddo, A. Zanini

引用次数: 1

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationships between urbanization and long-term economic growth in the pre-industrial world. To this end, we compiled a novel dataset collecting all currently available data on urban and rural populations in an Italian pre-unification state, the Republic of Genoa. Data show the paradoxical coexistence of high urbanization levels with cyclical Malthusian stagnations. Putting together empirical results and historical evidence, we interpreted this puzzle, highlighting how a high degree of urbanization could be the consequence of widespread poverty, rather than a measure of rising standards of living. To describe this phenomenon, we coined the term “Malthusian urbanization”.

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“马尔萨斯城市化”的悖论：热那亚共和国没有增长的城市化，1300–1800

本文研究了前工业时代城市化与长期经济增长之间的关系。为此，我们编制了一个新的数据集，收集了意大利统一前热那亚共和国城市和农村人口的所有现有数据。数据显示，高城市化水平与周期性马尔萨斯停滞矛盾共存。综合经验结果和历史证据，我们解释了这个谜题，强调了高度城市化可能是普遍贫困的结果，而不是生活水平提高的衡量标准。为了描述这种现象，我们创造了“马尔萨斯城市化”一词。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

European Review of Economic History Multiple-

CiteScore

2.60

自引率

7.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： European Review of Economic History has established itself as a major outlet for high-quality research in economic history, which is accessible to readers from a variety of different backgrounds. The Review publishes articles on a wide range of topics in European, comparative and world economic history. Contributions shed new light on existing debates, raise new or previously neglected topics and provide fresh perspectives from comparative research. The Review includes full-length articles, shorter articles, notes and comments, debates, survey articles, and review articles. It also publishes notes and announcements from the European Historical Economics Society.