I think it is unreasonable to interpret geography in the way you suggest. I don’t see how migration loans or deworming change the geography of a place. RCTs may have had an effect on culture but it seems likely a very small one wrt culture affecting growth.
The link I was thinking of is that migration loans are relevant for urbanization, agglomeration effects, and generally the distribution and density of humans (which seem like they fit into human geography—”Human geography attends to human patterns of social interaction, as well as spatial level interdependencies”—and urban geography).
Deworming doesn’t change the geography of a place in itself but it mediates the impact of that geography on humans/the economy/society (supposing that we consider the disease environment a part of geography similar to the way we might consider forestation and the endowment of domesticable animals as geographic factors).
Similarly, fertilization mediates the impact of poor soils which are prevalent in equatorial regions.
Not sure if that makes the examples and their connection to geography more scrutable.
What are you thinking of when you emphasize geography as a determinant of growth? Stuff like shipping access and which countries are neighbors?
I think it is unreasonable to interpret geography in the way you suggest. I don’t see how migration loans or deworming change the geography of a place. RCTs may have had an effect on culture but it seems likely a very small one wrt culture affecting growth.
I agree on the human capital point.
The link I was thinking of is that migration loans are relevant for urbanization, agglomeration effects, and generally the distribution and density of humans (which seem like they fit into human geography—”Human geography attends to human patterns of social interaction, as well as spatial level interdependencies”—and urban geography).
Deworming doesn’t change the geography of a place in itself but it mediates the impact of that geography on humans/the economy/society (supposing that we consider the disease environment a part of geography similar to the way we might consider forestation and the endowment of domesticable animals as geographic factors).
Similarly, fertilization mediates the impact of poor soils which are prevalent in equatorial regions.
Not sure if that makes the examples and their connection to geography more scrutable.
What are you thinking of when you emphasize geography as a determinant of growth? Stuff like shipping access and which countries are neighbors?