Paleoeconomics Climate Change and Economic Development in Prehistory

This accessible and insightful textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the economics of prehistory. By presenting a chronological account of the beginnings of economics and human society, it charts the key developments in early human history, from the evolution of social norms and colonizing of unknown continents, to the development of early technology and the transition to agricultural food production. Particular attention is given to how human capital, the natural environment, social capital, and the spread of knowledge and technical skills propelled economic development during prehistory. The origin of modern concerns, including wealth inequality, stratified societies, and environmental change, are thoughtfully presented through the examining of the birth of the first states and human civilization.

This book provides a thrilling account of human evolution and economic development from its African origins and hunter-gather days, through to the invention of agriculture and the rise of early states. Bringing together ideas from across economic history, the political economy, anthropology, and evolutionary biology, it will be relevant to students and general readers interested in these topics.

1. Introduction.- 2. African Origins.- 3. Human Capital Evolution in a Cooling Climate.- 4. Hunting and Gathering Homo Sapiens.- 5. The Out-of-Africa Dispersal.- 6. Glacial Adaptations.- 7. Economic Organization on the Eve of Agriculture.- 8. Domestication of Plants, Animals and Humans.- 9. Theories of the Transition to Agriculture.- 10. Agricultural Intensification, Expansion and Trade.- 11. Institutional and Technological Development.- 12. Models of State Origins.- 13. First States I: Mesopotamia and Egypt.- 14. First States II: Indus, China, Peru and Mexico.- 15. End of Prehistory.

Ola Olsson is Professor of Economics at the University of Gothenburg.