Pandemics, places, and populations: Evidence from the Black Death

a column by Rémi Jedwab, Noel Johnson and Mark Koyama for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal

The Black Death killed 40% of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1352, but little is known about its spatial effects.

The column uses variation in Plague mortality at the city level to explore the short-run and long-run impacts on city growth. After less than 200 years the impact of Black Death mortality in cities was close to zero, but the rate of urban recovery depended on advantages that favoured trade.

Continue reading not simply for the economic information but for the social history.

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