Ola Olsson
@oolsson.bsky.social
590 followers 360 following 54 posts
Professor of Economics and HoD at University of Gothenburg Economic growth, development economics and economic history. Author of "Paleoeconomics: Climate Change and Economic Development in Prehistory” https://sites.google.com/site/econolaols/home
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oolsson.bsky.social
My book "Paleoeconomics" is now available in online book stores. It offers a chronologically structured overview of the economics of prehistory from the first hominins to the rise of states in 3500 BCE. It builds on rapidly growing research in several fields. 1/6 link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Paleoeconomics
This accessible and insightful textbook Paleoeconomics provides a comprehensive introduction to the economics of prehistory.
link.springer.com
oolsson.bsky.social
Will we be able to trust key economic data from the US again?

The America We Knew Is Rapidly Slipping Away www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/o...
Opinion | The America We Knew Is Rapidly Slipping Away
www.nytimes.com
oolsson.bsky.social
Just presented my paper on weather shocks and monument construction during the Classic Maya period at the WEHC in Lund. Happy for the great lineup of very interesting papers and presenters and for the turnout. Also thrilled to find my book in the book exhibition!
oolsson.bsky.social
EU should of course respond with tariffs in line with the measures agreed on in April. Time to take a break from the flattery that EU leaders have tried in different fora and show resolve.
vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu
A 30% tariff on EU exports would hurt businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic.

We will continue working towards an agreement by August 1.

At the same time, we are ready to safeguard EU interests on the basis of proportionate countermeasures.

europa.eu/!tPvKn8
oolsson.bsky.social
Kommenterar senatens behandling av Trumps budget Dagens ETC.
Reposted by Ola Olsson
gothenburg-econ.bsky.social
Congratulations to @rhelensdotter.bsky.social !
reveconstudies.bsky.social
Recently accepted to #REStud, "Surviving Childhood: Effects of Removing a Child From Home," from Ronja Helénsdotter
@rhelensdotter.bsky.social @MIT @econGU:

www.restud.com/surviving-ch...

#econsky
Reposted by Ola Olsson
gothenburg-econ.bsky.social
Several members of faculty in the development group @gothenburg-econ.bsky.social have taken part in this nice collaboration as supervisors. We thank our Ethiopian friends for their visit and hope for fruitful research interaction in the future.
efdinitiative.bsky.social
This week, the PhD students who have divided their time between Addis Ababa University and the University of Gothenburg present their theses to their peers and supervisors before finalizing them. Excellent work!
#addisababauniversity #universityofgothenburg #EnvironmentalEconomics #phdstudent #PhD
oolsson.bsky.social
There are of course numerous lessons from recent history about what Trump’s handling of the unrest in LA might lead to. The most worrying is probably ”Crackdowns can be steppingstones to wider power grabs.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/w...
3 Lessons From International Protests Amid Unrest in L.A.
Experts who study protest movements say the scenes unfolding in California broadly follow a script that has played out many times in other countries — sometimes with deadly consequences.
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Ola Olsson
gothenburg-econ.bsky.social
Our frequent guest and affiliated colleague Martin Berg Karlsson @drdemant.bsky.social has co-authored a paper on German health insurance that is forthcoming in @jpolecon.bsky.social. Congratulations! doi.org/10.1086/734781
University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent
doi.org
oolsson.bsky.social
Our results show that while extreme Nile floods result in a greater degree of political instability (ruler and dynastic tenure durations), periods with a greater rainfall in the hinterland cause a decline in state capacity and a delayed increase in political instability.
oolsson.bsky.social
Effective enviromental circumscription was created through an interplay between Nile floods (proxied by rainfall over Highland Ethiopia) and Mediterranean rains that determined the productivity of the hinterland.
oolsson.bsky.social
My paper with Laura Mayoral on the political impact of floods and droughts in Ancient Egypt, is now assigned to an issue of JEconGrowth. We provide evidence of a "dynamic circumscription model" where Egypt was sometimes like a "social cage" where rulers could easily dominate.
rdcu.be/eoDL5
Floods, droughts, and environmental circumscription in early state development: the case of ancient Egypt
rdcu.be