Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development
- Autores
- Green, Adam S.; Feinman, Gary; Thompson, Amy; Cruz, Pablo; Chirikure, Shadreck; Kerig, Tim; Lawrence, Dan; Petrie, Cameron; Ortman, Scott
- Año de publicación
- 2025
- Idioma
- inglés
- Tipo de recurso
- artículo
- Estado
- versión publicada
- Descripción
- Understanding the relationship between inequality and economic growth is a critical science problem that hinders sustainable development. In 1955, Simon Kuznets hypothesized that rising economic growth raises inequality, which levels off as that growth continues. Kuznets’ “curve,” which is a cornerstone of development economics, was based on data from a small sample of rich capitalist economies. Here, we draw on the GINI database, which includes area measurements of 53,464 residences from 1,176 settlements dating from 21,000 BC to the present, and published data from the Spatial Analysis in Maya Studies (SAMS) group, to radically reevaluate Kuznets’ curve. We use Gini coefficients of residential disparity, a proxy of inequality, and mean residence area, a proxy of productivity, to investigate past sustainable development in the Bronze Age Interaction Zone (BAIZ), the Mundo Maya, and Britain prior to, over the course of, and after the Roman conquest. We interpolate spatial patterns across each zone to statistically evaluate changes in inequality and economic growth. We find a recurring pattern in which phases of sustainable development, a rise in productivity without a rise in inequality, gave way to increasing inequality. These patterns resemble those Branko Milanovic termed “Kuznets’ waves,” albeit at timescales better described as “tides,” which began after the introduction of weight metrology, an early form of economic governance associated with long-distance exchange. We posit that past sustainable development was predicated on balancing reciprocity from the bottom–up with mechanisms like early weight metrology but was repeatedly forestalled as inchoate elites co-optedthese mechanisms.
Fil: Green, Adam S.. University of York; Reino Unido
Fil: Feinman, Gary. Field Museum of National History; Estados Unidos
Fil: Thompson, Amy. University of Texas at Austin; Estados Unidos
Fil: Cruz, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Unidad Ejecutora en Ciencias Sociales Regionales y Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Unidad Ejecutora en Ciencias Sociales Regionales y Humanidades; Argentina
Fil: Chirikure, Shadreck. University of Oxford; Reino Unido
Fil: Kerig, Tim. Christian Albrechts Universitat Zu Kiel; Alemania
Fil: Lawrence, Dan. University of Durham; Reino Unido
Fil: Petrie, Cameron. University of Cambridge; Estados Unidos
Fil: Ortman, Scott. State University of Colorado at Boulder; Estados Unidos - Materia
-
INEQUALITY
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
PRODUCTIVITY
ECONOMIC GROWTH - Nivel de accesibilidad
- acceso abierto
- Condiciones de uso
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
- Repositorio
- Institución
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
- OAI Identificador
- oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/265917
Ver los metadatos del registro completo
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Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable developmentGreen, Adam S.Feinman, GaryThompson, AmyCruz, PabloChirikure, ShadreckKerig, TimLawrence, DanPetrie, CameronOrtman, ScottINEQUALITYSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTPRODUCTIVITYECONOMIC GROWTHhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6Understanding the relationship between inequality and economic growth is a critical science problem that hinders sustainable development. In 1955, Simon Kuznets hypothesized that rising economic growth raises inequality, which levels off as that growth continues. Kuznets’ “curve,” which is a cornerstone of development economics, was based on data from a small sample of rich capitalist economies. Here, we draw on the GINI database, which includes area measurements of 53,464 residences from 1,176 settlements dating from 21,000 BC to the present, and published data from the Spatial Analysis in Maya Studies (SAMS) group, to radically reevaluate Kuznets’ curve. We use Gini coefficients of residential disparity, a proxy of inequality, and mean residence area, a proxy of productivity, to investigate past sustainable development in the Bronze Age Interaction Zone (BAIZ), the Mundo Maya, and Britain prior to, over the course of, and after the Roman conquest. We interpolate spatial patterns across each zone to statistically evaluate changes in inequality and economic growth. We find a recurring pattern in which phases of sustainable development, a rise in productivity without a rise in inequality, gave way to increasing inequality. These patterns resemble those Branko Milanovic termed “Kuznets’ waves,” albeit at timescales better described as “tides,” which began after the introduction of weight metrology, an early form of economic governance associated with long-distance exchange. We posit that past sustainable development was predicated on balancing reciprocity from the bottom–up with mechanisms like early weight metrology but was repeatedly forestalled as inchoate elites co-optedthese mechanisms.Fil: Green, Adam S.. University of York; Reino UnidoFil: Feinman, Gary. Field Museum of National History; Estados UnidosFil: Thompson, Amy. University of Texas at Austin; Estados UnidosFil: Cruz, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Unidad Ejecutora en Ciencias Sociales Regionales y Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Unidad Ejecutora en Ciencias Sociales Regionales y Humanidades; ArgentinaFil: Chirikure, Shadreck. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Kerig, Tim. Christian Albrechts Universitat Zu Kiel; AlemaniaFil: Lawrence, Dan. University of Durham; Reino UnidoFil: Petrie, Cameron. University of Cambridge; Estados UnidosFil: Ortman, Scott. State University of Colorado at Boulder; Estados UnidosNational Academy of Sciences2025-04info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/265917Green, Adam S.; Feinman, Gary; Thompson, Amy; Cruz, Pablo; Chirikure, Shadreck; et al.; Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development; National Academy of Sciences; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America; 122; 16; 4-2025; 1-90027-8424CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2400603121info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1073/pnas.2400603121info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-10-22T11:38:20Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/265917instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-10-22 11:38:20.529CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
title |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
spellingShingle |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development Green, Adam S. INEQUALITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTIVITY ECONOMIC GROWTH |
title_short |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
title_full |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
title_fullStr |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
title_full_unstemmed |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
title_sort |
Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development |
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Green, Adam S. Feinman, Gary Thompson, Amy Cruz, Pablo Chirikure, Shadreck Kerig, Tim Lawrence, Dan Petrie, Cameron Ortman, Scott |
author |
Green, Adam S. |
author_facet |
Green, Adam S. Feinman, Gary Thompson, Amy Cruz, Pablo Chirikure, Shadreck Kerig, Tim Lawrence, Dan Petrie, Cameron Ortman, Scott |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Feinman, Gary Thompson, Amy Cruz, Pablo Chirikure, Shadreck Kerig, Tim Lawrence, Dan Petrie, Cameron Ortman, Scott |
author2_role |
author author author author author author author author |
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
INEQUALITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTIVITY ECONOMIC GROWTH |
topic |
INEQUALITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTIVITY ECONOMIC GROWTH |
purl_subject.fl_str_mv |
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6 |
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv |
Understanding the relationship between inequality and economic growth is a critical science problem that hinders sustainable development. In 1955, Simon Kuznets hypothesized that rising economic growth raises inequality, which levels off as that growth continues. Kuznets’ “curve,” which is a cornerstone of development economics, was based on data from a small sample of rich capitalist economies. Here, we draw on the GINI database, which includes area measurements of 53,464 residences from 1,176 settlements dating from 21,000 BC to the present, and published data from the Spatial Analysis in Maya Studies (SAMS) group, to radically reevaluate Kuznets’ curve. We use Gini coefficients of residential disparity, a proxy of inequality, and mean residence area, a proxy of productivity, to investigate past sustainable development in the Bronze Age Interaction Zone (BAIZ), the Mundo Maya, and Britain prior to, over the course of, and after the Roman conquest. We interpolate spatial patterns across each zone to statistically evaluate changes in inequality and economic growth. We find a recurring pattern in which phases of sustainable development, a rise in productivity without a rise in inequality, gave way to increasing inequality. These patterns resemble those Branko Milanovic termed “Kuznets’ waves,” albeit at timescales better described as “tides,” which began after the introduction of weight metrology, an early form of economic governance associated with long-distance exchange. We posit that past sustainable development was predicated on balancing reciprocity from the bottom–up with mechanisms like early weight metrology but was repeatedly forestalled as inchoate elites co-optedthese mechanisms. Fil: Green, Adam S.. University of York; Reino Unido Fil: Feinman, Gary. Field Museum of National History; Estados Unidos Fil: Thompson, Amy. University of Texas at Austin; Estados Unidos Fil: Cruz, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Unidad Ejecutora en Ciencias Sociales Regionales y Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Unidad Ejecutora en Ciencias Sociales Regionales y Humanidades; Argentina Fil: Chirikure, Shadreck. University of Oxford; Reino Unido Fil: Kerig, Tim. Christian Albrechts Universitat Zu Kiel; Alemania Fil: Lawrence, Dan. University of Durham; Reino Unido Fil: Petrie, Cameron. University of Cambridge; Estados Unidos Fil: Ortman, Scott. State University of Colorado at Boulder; Estados Unidos |
description |
Understanding the relationship between inequality and economic growth is a critical science problem that hinders sustainable development. In 1955, Simon Kuznets hypothesized that rising economic growth raises inequality, which levels off as that growth continues. Kuznets’ “curve,” which is a cornerstone of development economics, was based on data from a small sample of rich capitalist economies. Here, we draw on the GINI database, which includes area measurements of 53,464 residences from 1,176 settlements dating from 21,000 BC to the present, and published data from the Spatial Analysis in Maya Studies (SAMS) group, to radically reevaluate Kuznets’ curve. We use Gini coefficients of residential disparity, a proxy of inequality, and mean residence area, a proxy of productivity, to investigate past sustainable development in the Bronze Age Interaction Zone (BAIZ), the Mundo Maya, and Britain prior to, over the course of, and after the Roman conquest. We interpolate spatial patterns across each zone to statistically evaluate changes in inequality and economic growth. We find a recurring pattern in which phases of sustainable development, a rise in productivity without a rise in inequality, gave way to increasing inequality. These patterns resemble those Branko Milanovic termed “Kuznets’ waves,” albeit at timescales better described as “tides,” which began after the introduction of weight metrology, an early form of economic governance associated with long-distance exchange. We posit that past sustainable development was predicated on balancing reciprocity from the bottom–up with mechanisms like early weight metrology but was repeatedly forestalled as inchoate elites co-optedthese mechanisms. |
publishDate |
2025 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2025-04 |
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/265917 Green, Adam S.; Feinman, Gary; Thompson, Amy; Cruz, Pablo; Chirikure, Shadreck; et al.; Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development; National Academy of Sciences; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America; 122; 16; 4-2025; 1-9 0027-8424 CONICET Digital CONICET |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/265917 |
identifier_str_mv |
Green, Adam S.; Feinman, Gary; Thompson, Amy; Cruz, Pablo; Chirikure, Shadreck; et al.; Kuznets’ tides: An archaeological perspective on the long-term dynamics of sustainable development; National Academy of Sciences; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America; 122; 16; 4-2025; 1-9 0027-8424 CONICET Digital CONICET |
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2400603121 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1073/pnas.2400603121 |
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/ |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/ |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
National Academy of Sciences |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
National Academy of Sciences |
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reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET) instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
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Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
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CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar |
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