Biological welfare and the commons: A natural experiment in the Alps, 1765-1845.
In the late 18th century hundreds self-governing alpine communities in Northern Italy came under the direct control of centralized states (Austria and France) at different times. We exploit the timing and location of these interventions in a DD type design to investigate the effects of removing CPR institutions on biological welfare. We find a significant and persistent increase in infant mortality rates and a more modest decrease in birth rates as a result of state centralization. We provide evidence that these demographic changes reflect a critical loss of natural resource income caused by the disruption of communal institutions. Impacts are most severe in communities that have no prior experience with formal institutions.
["O'Grady|Trevor|T|", 'Tagliapietra|Claudio|C|']
D001317:Austria D001723:Birth Rate D005260:Female D005602:France D006304:Health Status D049671:History, 18th Century D049672:History, 19th Century D006801:Humans D007182:Income D007223:Infant D007226:Infant Mortality D007558:Italy D008297:Male D000067936:Natural Resources D009752:Nutritional Status D011057:Politics D011157:Population Dynamics D012424:Rural Population D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
Centralization Infant mortality Common property D23 Habsburgs K11 L14 N53 Napoleon P48