ECON 452W Midterm: 452 midterm 2009
9 Jan 2019
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You should mention names of authors when possible: we discussed chapters 8 and 9 of jared diamond"s book guns, germs and steel in class. These chapters dealt with differences in the biological endowments of plants and animals for different regions of the world. Summarize some other important idea from earlier in the book (before chapter 8). Evaluate the merits of the idea and explain any criticisms you may have. Economists interested in prehistory generally want information about natural resources, technology, population, preferences, and institutions. For a foraging society that existed several thousand years ago, explain what kind of evidence is typically available for each of these variables. Describe the problems that generally arise when an economist tries to obtain evidence on each variable, and say how these problems might be handled. Archaeologists often treat "population pressure" as an exogenous variable. However, economists interested in prehistory often treat population as an endogenous variable.
