In his book, The Age of Turbulence, former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan noted how a capitalist democracy has never experienced a famine. Many subscribe to the belief that what could be typified as the Western style of liberal democracy and free markets has brought about prosperity by creating the most efficient allocation of resources.
Is it democracy that brings prosperity, or the other way around?
In this episode, Dan speaks with Andrey Scherback, Professor of Economics at HSE St. Petersburg on the link between diet and democratic reforms. His paper, A Recipe for Democracy? The Spread of the European Diet and Political Change, makes the case that improvements in diet are often a predictor of democratic reforms, but not the other way around.
You can listen to the full episode via the player below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your bad self gets your podcasts.