Call for Papers for an Accepted Three-Hour Session at the XVIIth World Economic History Congress, 3-7 August 2015, Kyoto

Ancient Economic Development from Multiple Perspectives: Ecology, Institutions, and Evolution

This session is intended to bring together researchers in early economic developments across a range of fields of study, locations and research foci to understand various early roots of economic development. Recent investigations into development suggest that all manner of influences may matter, from ecological and economic impacts that affect fertility and population growth, intensity of resource use and conservation, access to markets, trade and variations in compatibility with trading partners, and institutional development aimed at solving how to develop and share limited resources under different social and technological constraints.

We are particularly interested in research that

- investigates institutional, political economy, and/or financial developments that provide solutions to public goods, common resource, and/or information problems,
- investigates biological and ecological adaptations to changing environments and populations,
- investigates technological evolution, resource use and dependence, and/or
- investigates differences in economic development stemming from e. g. resource-based societies and trade-based societies.

The temporal focus includes pre- and proto-historic periods as well as early state formation and the classical period. The spatial focus is global, with confirmed applications to Polynesia, the classical world, and cross-cultural comparisons across early societies documented in the Ethnographic Atlas and Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (SCCS). The organizers come from both economic history and ancient history. We especially encourage submissions from different academic perspectives as well as research with a focus on environmental or ecological aspects of economic development and human behavior.

If interested in participating, please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words to the organizers before 01 February 2015.