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I am a Professor of Economics and Head of Department of Economics at School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg.
My research interests are development economics, economic history, the political economy of conflict, and economic growth. I teach macroeconomic theory at all levels.
Email: ola.olsson@economics.gu.se
Phone: +46 766 181341
My new book Paleoeconomics: Climate Change and Economic Development in Prehistory is now published and available as soft cover or ebook from Palgrave Macmillan/Springer.
Free addendum chapter with deeper theoretical expositions: Paleoeconomics: A Conceptual Framework
News:
Academic talks during winter/spring 2025: ASSA, San Francisco, Jan 5; Third Bolzano Workshop in Historical Economics, Jan 25; Lund University, Feb 12; Umeå University, March 19.
SVT interview about Nobel prize and interview on Vetenskapsradion about Göbekli Tepe and my book
Hosting visit and lecture by Nobel laureate Simon Johnson in Gothenburg (Dec. 2024)
My research is covered in GU Journalen
Cadasters and Economic Growth: A Long-Run Cross-Country Panel (with Michelle D'Arcy and Marina Nistotskaya) Journal of Political Economy 132(11) (replication) (Oct, 2024)
New working paper: The Political Economy of Bread and Circuses: Weather Shocks and Maya Monument Construction (with Melissa Rubio and Christian Isendahl) (Oct, 2024)
New research group at the department: Historical Economics (June 2024)
Floods, Droughts, and Environmental Circumscription in Early State Development: The Case of Ancient Egypt (with Laura Mayoral) forthcoming in Journal of Economic Growth (April, 2024)
