European economic growth and conflict during the Little Ice Age

Recent studies on global warming have focused on how climate change will impact economic growth and conflict in the long run. This dissertation empirically measures the long run effects of climate change on economic growth and conflict during the Little Ice Age in medieval Europe. The current literature has associated this temperature cooling with a decrease in economic growth and an increase likelihood in violent conflict. This paper utilized a new dataset containing urbanization, conflict, and weather data from European countries to measure the impact of climate change from 1520 to 1770. Results on economic growth and temperature confirm the current literature by revealing the negative impact temperature cooling has on economic growth. The empirical results of temperature cooling and conflict show that there is an increased probability of violent conflict with a decrease in temperature without statistical significance. This supports the narrative that medieval European societies were able to adjust to temperature change with technological advances to avoid violent conflict.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical reference