Natural Selection and the Evolution of Life Expectancy

Minerva Center for Economic Growth Paper No. 02-05

37 Pages Posted: 13 Jul 2004

See all articles by Oded Galor

Oded Galor

Brown University - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Omer Moav

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); University of Warwick - Department of Economics; Reichman University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 12, 2005

Abstract

This research advances an evolutionary growth theory that captures the pattern of life expectancy in the process of development, shedding new light on the sources of the remarkable rise in life expectancy since the Agricultural Revolution. The theory suggests that social, economic and environmental changes that were associated with the transition from hunter-gatherer tribes to sedentary agricultural communities and ultimately to urban societies affected the nature of the environmental hazards confronted by the human population, triggering an evolutionary process that had a significant impact on the time path of human longevity.

Keywords: Life Expectancy, growth, technological progress, evolution, Natural Selection, Malthusian Stagnation

JEL Classification: I12, J13, N3, O10

Suggested Citation

Galor, Oded and Moav, Omer, Natural Selection and the Evolution of Life Expectancy (October 12, 2005). Minerva Center for Economic Growth Paper No. 02-05, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=563741 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.563741

Oded Galor (Contact Author)

Brown University - Department of Economics ( email )

Providence, RI 02912
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.econ.brown.edu/fac/Oded_Galor/

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.econ.brown.edu/fac/Oded_Galor/

Omer Moav

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

University of Warwick - Department of Economics ( email )

Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/academic/moav

Reichman University ( email )

Israel

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