arbiter
JournalsAccount

Ethnic Diversity, Historical Economic Exchange, and Development: Evidence from Andean Peru

Miriam Artiles

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics2026https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20240281article
AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Is ethnic diversity good or bad for economic development? Most studies find corrosive effects. This paper shows that historical exposure to economic exchange can mitigate these effects in the long run. I collect data from a natural experiment of Peru's colonial history: the forced resettlement of native populations in the sixteenth century. Where the resettlement concentrated ethnically diverse populations with a history of internal crop exchange, contemporary populations perform better systematically. Additional evidence suggests that prior experience with mutually beneficial crop exchange shaped more open attitudes toward out-group members. Economic complementarities helped sustain long-run, market-oriented cooperation and local trade. (JEL F54, J15, N16, N36, N56, O15, Q12)

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20240281

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{miriam2026,
  title        = {{Ethnic Diversity, Historical Economic Exchange, and Development: Evidence from Andean Peru}},
  author       = {Miriam Artiles},
  journal      = {American Economic Journal: Applied Economics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20240281},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Ethnic Diversity, Historical Economic Exchange, and Development: Evidence from Andean Peru

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.