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Why is Africa so poor while Europe and North America are so wealthy?
The Washington Post ^ | April 24, 2016 | Andrew Gelman

Posted on 04/24/2016 9:05:52 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican

A few years ago, two economics professors, Quamrul Ashraf and Oded Galor, published a paper, “The Out of Africa Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, and Comparative Economic Development,” that drew inferences about poverty and genetics based on a statistical pattern.

The world’s most genetically diverse countries (using their measure of what counts as genetically diverse) are in sub-Saharan Africa, which is the world’s poorest region. The least genetically diverse countries are in places like Bolivia, which have low incomes but not as low as in that region of Africa. There’s an intermediate level of genetic diversity among the residents of the middle-income and rich countries in Asia, Europe and North America.

Genetic diversity arises from migratory distance of populations from East Africa. Countries in east Africa have the highest genetic diversity because this is where humans evolved. Populations that settled in other parts of the world descend from various subgroups of people who left Africa at different times. Thus, these groups are less varied in their genetic profiles.

Ashraf and Galor put this together and argued that this is “reflecting the trade-off between the beneficial and the detrimental effects of diversity on productivity.” Their argument was that a little bit of genetic diversity is a good thing because “a wider spectrum of traits is more likely to be complementary to the development and successful implementation of advanced technological paradigms,” but if a country is too genetically diverse, its economy will suffer from “reduced cooperation and efficiency.” Thus, they wrote, “the high degree of diversity among African populations and the low degree of diversity among Native American populations have been a detrimental force in the development of those regions.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: christianity
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To: MinorityRepublican
All cultures are equal!!

21 posted on 04/24/2016 9:15:53 AM PDT by proust (Texans for Trump!)
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To: MinorityRepublican

A question I’ve found fascinating for years.

I think weather comes into the mix. In warm weather you don’t need to be as industrious. Although...the Eskimos haven’t had the most advanced civilization either.

Also Christianity has opened many a mind to value progress.


22 posted on 04/24/2016 9:16:01 AM PDT by Aria (2016: The gravy train v Donald Trump)
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To: MinorityRepublican

And one wonders why liberals are laughed at.

Just think of the damage these clowns could do if they got into something requiring an IQ to the right of the Bell curve...like science.

Oh, forgot.........


23 posted on 04/24/2016 9:16:16 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Tzimisce
It’s obviously racism, low taxes and lack of gay marriage. And a male dominated culture that exploits womyn and natural resources.
24 posted on 04/24/2016 9:16:25 AM PDT by llevrok (Lies are born the moment someone thinks the truth is dangerous.)
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To: Thumper1960
Because, the White European model of civilization is far superior.

I think that civilization had to evolve in Northern and Western Europe because of scarcity. Due to scarcity brought by winter, Europeans had to plan to store food. That led to civilization advancing in Europe while in Africa, tribes were content to eat banana from the tree and hunt wildebeest for dinner.

25 posted on 04/24/2016 9:16:58 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

There’s NOTHING wrong with Africa at all, only with Africans.

Look at Rhodesia and SA —they were fine. Fantastic, even.

And when those leaderships went away, they slid into the abyss.

One of the most shocking vids I ever saw was a taxi driver going around modern Harare, and each time he drove past a major landmark they’d have this momentary little screen call-out showing a snap of the same building or monument 30 years before:

LIKE NIGHT AND DAY.


26 posted on 04/24/2016 9:17:29 AM PDT by gaijin
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To: max americana

It’s called Tribes. Africa could never coalesce as a society. European culture was built around great cities where enlightenment, industry, culture flourished, enabling people to do different things. In Africa, culture was “what can we cut off or mutilate to see if a person is worthy to be an adult?”


27 posted on 04/24/2016 9:17:41 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (United we stand, divided we fall. I think the establishment has divided us enough.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Certainly wouldn’t have anything to do with the rule of law and private property protections that rose out of the Judeo-Christian foundation in the West.


28 posted on 04/24/2016 9:18:03 AM PDT by dogcaller
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To: MinorityRepublican

One glance explains all differentials between Africa and Europe. (however, Europe is currently being Africanized and shall die.)


29 posted on 04/24/2016 9:18:36 AM PDT by AEMILIUS PAULUS
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To: MinorityRepublican

Why do some areas have higher violent crime rates?


30 posted on 04/24/2016 9:18:48 AM PDT by umgud
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To: Mears

How dare you bring up a solid reason like that?


31 posted on 04/24/2016 9:19:41 AM PDT by Catmom (We're all gonna get the punishment only some of us deserve.)
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To: corlorde

Those things prevent laws establishing property rights and civil rights which is crucial to seeding capitalism, the superior system of governance. Capitalism encourages innovation, saving for the future and forward thinking of businesses. Sadly our country is rapidly eroding some of those values to cripple our economy.


32 posted on 04/24/2016 9:20:14 AM PDT by BipolarBob (I'm so open minded that you should only think like me.)
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To: arl295
Corruption, welfare states and nobody wants to work?

"Nobody wants to work" can certainly be found in some places and cultures, but "there's no point in working because your product will be stolen from you" is the much more common problem. The rule of law, limited taxation, and respect for private property rights are essential. Without them, if you produce an economic surplus, you simply make yourself a target. And those who do manage to get ahead of the game must devote much of their energy, ingenuity, and wealth to hiding or guarding their assets.

33 posted on 04/24/2016 9:20:46 AM PDT by sphinx
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To: All

The West isn’t helping either.

Another interesting view point -

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/spiegel-interview-with-african-economics-expert-for-god-s-sake-please-stop-the-aid-a-363663.html


34 posted on 04/24/2016 9:21:42 AM PDT by az_gila
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To: Mears

http://www.targetmap.com/viewer.aspx?reportId=2812";

http://www.targetmap.com/viewer.aspx?reportId=2812


35 posted on 04/24/2016 9:21:47 AM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra (Don't touch that thing Don't let anybody touch that thing!I'm a Doctor and I won't touch that thing!)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Paging Drs Murray and Herrnstein. White courtesy telephone, please.


36 posted on 04/24/2016 9:22:13 AM PDT by Noumenon (Destroy Islam and its followers. The civilization you save may be your own.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Liberals will argue with dogmatic furor that Darwin is 100% correct but at the same time declare there is zero difference between humans. Africa is where humanity began according to “settled science.” It has had tens of thousands of years to grow and prosper but it hasn’t. Troglodyte neanderthals wandered north to the Mediterranean and in to Africa and built powerful empires with matching technologies. Africa remains the same. Sorry liberals. People are different. You can’t claim that slavery and “oppression” have caused Africa’s problems. It is Africans that cause Africa’s problems. If it were slavery and oppression Jews were nearly wiped out only 70 years ago and have been used as slaves and scapegoats for millennia yet they are successful and Israel is a flourishing nation in a region of dysfunction.


37 posted on 04/24/2016 9:22:32 AM PDT by Organic Panic
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To: MinorityRepublican
I have a theory about this and it involves not just Africa but the entire equator of the earth. Generally speaking, most of the world's poverty exists along the equator belt.

Why is that? My theory is that the constant hot weather contributes to people not being as ambitious and hard working as people in more northern climes, who must deal with a lot of cold weather. Where I live, I get maybe three months a year of "real" summer weather and during that stretch of time, I just want to sit out in my backyard nursing a cold drink and sitting in my lawn chair. I have no desire to do any work except maybe mow the lawn and throw some meat on the grill. Once September rolls around and there is a chill in the air, I'm more motivated to go back inside and get some work done.

Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Someday, I'm going to retire and will live on some tropical island, with nothing to do but sit on a beach with an umbrella drink in my hand, listening to Jimmy Buffet and maybe some reggae.

38 posted on 04/24/2016 9:22:36 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: MinorityRepublican

Do we really need to state the obvious here?

IQ?
Some people are more predisposed than others to have dysfunctional cultures?
Some people prefer cannibalism to agriculture?


39 posted on 04/24/2016 9:22:44 AM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
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To: max americana

At least ours doesn’t build huge mansions with gold fixtures and remain in office (free and fair elections of course) for upwards of forty years using.


40 posted on 04/24/2016 9:22:45 AM PDT by SkyDancer ("Nobody Said I Was Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
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