Zanzivar - Is It a 'Zanzivar'?

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Cape verty has a vibrant multi party democracy, free speech. Hardly a wealthy place, but institutionally, it seems to be doing pretty well in terms of social and political capital. Originally those islands were not settled. They were a centre for the slave trade. It wasn't in case that slaves per se were taken from them. So i'd think of them as more similar to plantation islands in the americas,. And then one interesting fact is there's another set of islands, comoros, where, you know, they were initially inhabited, and that looks more likethe rest of africa. But madagascar would be the another example....

Nathan Nunn’s work history includes automotive stores, a freight company, a paint factory, a ski hill, photography, book publishing, private tutoring, and more. Having grown up in a lower-income Canadian family, he recognizes the importance of having multiple pathways to climb the socioeconomic ladder. Now, as a development economist at Harvard, his research investigates how things like history, culture and contract enforcement shape the development paths of nations.

Nathan joined Tyler for a conversation about which African countries a theory of persistence would lead him to bet on, why so many Africans live in harder to settle areas, his predictions for the effects of Chinese development on East Africa, why genetic distance is a strong predictor of bilateral income differences and trade, the pleasant surprises of visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo, the role of the Catholic Church in the development of the West, why Canadian football is underrated, the unique commutes of Ottawans, the lack of Canadian brands, what’s missing from most economic graduate programs, the benefits of studying economics outside of the United States, how the plow shaped gender roles in the societies that used it, the cultural values behind South Korea’s success, and more.

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Recorded July 10th, 2020 Other ways to connect

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