Natural Selection and the Origin of Economic Growth

Abstract

This research develops an evolutionary growth theory that captures the interplay between the evolution of mankind and economic growth since the emergence of the human species. This unified theory encompasses the observed evolution of population, technology and income per capita in the long transition from an epoch of Malthusian stagnation to sustained economic growth. The theory suggests that prolonged economic stagnation prior to the transition to sustained growth stimulated natural selection that shaped the evolution of the human species, whereas the evolution of the human species was the origin of the take-off from an epoch of stagnation to sustained growth.

Keywords: Evolution, fertility, growth, human capital, Malthusian stagnation, natural selection, technological progress

JEL Classification: J11, J13, O11, O14, O33, O40