Nation Formation and Genetic Diversity
CORE Discussion Paper No. 2006/95
37 Pages Posted: 6 Dec 2006
There are 2 versions of this paper
Nation Formation and Genetic Diversity
Nation Formation and Genetic Diversity
Date Written: October 2006
Abstract
This paper presents a model of nation formation in which culturally heterogeneous agents vote on the optimal level of public spending. Larger nations benefit from increasing returns in the provision of public goods, but bear the costs of greater cultural heterogeneity. This tradeoff induces agents' preferences over different geographical configurations, thus determining the likelihood of secession and unification. We provide empirical support for choosing genetic distances as a proxy of cultural heterogeneity. By using data on genetic distances, we examine the stability of the current map of Europe and identify the regions prone to secession and the countries that are more likely to merge. Our framework is further applied to estimate the welfare gains from European Union membership.
Keywords: nation formation, genetic diversity, cultural heterogeneity, secession, unification, European Union
JEL Classification: H77, D70, F02, H40
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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