The History Thread

Interesting theory and approch (everything I wrote in the econ thread applies to this study; I have no idea about the validity of any of their claims):

aalims.org/uploads/Arbatli-Gokmen_Ethnic%20Capital%20and%20Development%20in%20Turkey.pdf



Ethnic Capital and Sub-national Development: Armenian and Greek Legacy in Post-expulsion Turkey
Cemal Eren Arbatliy Gunes Gokmenz
March 2018

Abstract
Does historical exposure to highly-skilled populations lead to path-dependence in regional development?
To answer this question, we study the long-term economic legacy of Armenians and Greeks of the Ottoman Empire using their mass expulsions from Anatolia as a unique natural experiment of history. Since these consecutive events led to an almost complete and permanent removal of both communities from Turkey within a short time period, our analysis can rule out any contemporaneous minority in uence on development. Our empirical analysis on the sample of Turkish districts suggests that historical Armenian and Greek presence had a positive eect on contemporary population density, urbanization, and economic activity {proxied by nighttime lights. We also exploit within-district variation in nighttime lights across more than 49,000 villages and neighborhoods to document a highly localized minority in uence. Those localities in close proximity to Armenian and Greek community buildings are more prosperous today than their otherwise similar counterparts. We argue that the long co-existence of Armenians and Greeks with Muslim populations was important for the persistence of minority legacy, and provide empirical evidence that this legacy was largely driven by minority contribution to local human capital accumulation.

Keywords: Human Capital; Economic Development; Expulsion; Minorities; Ethnicity; Armenians; Greeks; Persistence.
JEL classication codes: J15, O10, O15, O53, N35, Z12.


8 Concluding Remarks
This paper studies the long-run economic legacy of highly-skilled minorities and the channels of persistence, long after those minorities are expelled en masse. We oer evidence that the centuries-long presence of the two largest non-Muslim minorities of the Ottoman Empire, Armenians and Greeks, has signicantly shaped the regional patterns of Turkish development. In particular, we nd that, in modern day Turkey, districts with greater presence of historical Armenians and Greeks about a century ago are more densely populated, more urbanized, and more developed today. Using a large sample of villages and neighborhoods in Turkey we also establish a strong legacy of minority settlements on the current distribution of night lights at a highly local level. The estimates are sizable and very unlikely to be driven by endogenous selection.

We provide evidence on the channels through which Armenian and Greek presence might have shaped the regional outcomes. In particular, we show that Muslim residents of districts with greater exposure to Greek and Armenian presence were more educated in the past and are more educated today. This result might be a systematic indication of the positive externalities created by Armenian and Greek human capital on Muslim co-residents in the same localities. We also explore the intermediating role of minority assets that were conscated in the aftermath of the expulsions. We nd some evidence of Armenian and Greek legacy on contemporary land inequality that plausibly resulted from unequal redistribution of conscated assets. However, this legacy appears to be weaker for Greeks and does not seem to be important for regional development, at least relative to minority legacy on human capital.

Taken together, our results bear signicance beyond its particular historical context. They suggest that a social and institutional environment that is conducive to peaceful co-existence of dierent ethno-religious groups can foster benecial outcomes for the society at large. More specically, positive externalities and spillovers of human capital across groups might have long-lasting eects that go beyond their originators. While a large body of empirical work on ethnic diversity generally points to adverse consequences at global and national levels, our results seem to lend some qualied support for an optimistic view of historical diversity over the long-run.
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PedroMendez said:
Interesting theory and approch (everything I wrote in the econ thread applies to this study; I have no idea about the validity of any of their claims):

aalims.org/uploads/Arbatli-Gokmen_Ethnic%20Capital%20and%20Development%20in%20Turkey.pdf
Click to expand...

This isn't the only case, we know of more, especially when it comes to Jewish and German minorities in Eastern Europe IIRC. It's just a bit skewed to just deduce, like this study seems to imply, that some cultural superiority is in place when it certainly isn't.
 
2cents said:
It would be interesting to test this theory against villages and regions in modern Greece where Turks were forced out of at the same time.
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Actually maybe not so interesting since Greek Turks weren't a particularly economically developed community as far as I know.
 


1919 the year of Amritsar...
 
 
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2cents said:
DgED19KWsAARw-6
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Looks interesting but can't read the text below the flags.
 
2mufc0 said:
Looks interesting but can't read the text below the flags.
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Maybe because I copied the image from Twitter; can you read it now in the original tweet?
 


The suspense is bloody killing me.

Whoever is buried in the sarcophagus was evidently wealthy. The granite, I guess, would have come from Aswan, which is hundreds of miles from Alexandria. Pity about the bust.
 
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Further 'extremely significant' finds made at Newgrange as new markings emerge

nf2.jpg


The discovery of further significant new historical monuments has been made following a survey carried out on the Newgrange landscape this week.

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has captured new images of previously unseen monuments buried around the River Boyne floodplain via an aerial survey which was carried out on Friday.

It comes after two locals flying a drone in the area revealed crop markings of a circular enclosure hidden beneath the soil earlier in the week. The hot temperatures and dried-out lands facilitated the discovery and revealed the markings.

The survey of the landscape carried out on Friday revealed additional crop markings near the famous Newgrange Passage Tomb which dates back to around 3,000BC.

The age of these new historic features is not yet known but it is understood they likely date back to the Neolithic period around 5,000 years ago.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news...ewgrange-as-new-markings-emerge-37118185.html
 
Chairman Woodie said:


The suspense is bloody killing me.

Whoever is buried in the sarcophagus was evidently wealthy. The granite, I guess, would have come from Aswan, which is hundreds of miles from Alexandria. Pity about the bust.
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Any update with this?
 
Dumbstar said:
What is this about please? Is it recently discovered accounts of one person that lived through those times? Is he a significant person (I don't know that's why I'm asking)?
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Seems to be a brief mention of Islam and Muhammad left by a Christian monk living in what is now northern Iraq during the time of the second fitna. Would be significant to show how early people in the region recognized that a new religious tradition was being introduced by the Arabs.
 
2cents said:
Seems to be a brief mention of Islam and Muhammad left by a Christian monk living in what is now northern Iraq during the time of the second fitna. Would be significant to show how early people in the region recognized that a new religious tradition was being introduced by the Arabs.
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Thanks. It's certainly very exciting.
 
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