Puzzling properties of the historical growth rate of income per capita explained

TL;DR

This paper critically examines the historical growth rate of income per capita, revealing that supposed sudden growth spurts are artifacts of data distortion, and advocates for data-driven interpretations over traditional theories.

Contribution

It demonstrates that key growth mysteries are self-created by data presentation and advocates replacing outdated postulates with mathematical analysis of hyperbolic distributions.

Findings

The supposed growth spurts are data artifacts, not real phenomena.

Historical economic and demographic growth can be explained by hyperbolic distributions.

Current growth theories are based on incorrect postulates that need revision.

Abstract

Galor discovered many mysteries of the growth process. He lists them in his Unified Growth Theory and wonders how they can be explained. Close inspection of his mysteries reveals that they are of his own creation. They do not exist. He created them by his habitually distorted presentation of data. One of his self-created mysteries is the mystery of the alleged sudden spurt in the growth rate of income per capita. This sudden spurt never happened. In order to understand the growth rate of income per capita, its mathematical properties are now explored and explained. The explanation is illustrated using the historical world economic growth. Galor also wonders about the sudden spurt in the growth rate of population. We show that this sudden spurt was also created by the distorted presentation of data. The mechanism of the historical economic growth and of the growth of human population is yet to be explained but it would be unproductive to try to explain the non-existing and self-created mysteries of the growth process described in the scientifically unacceptable Unified Growth Theory. However, the problem is much deeper than just the examination of this theory. Demographic Growth Theory is based on the incorrect but deeply entrenched postulates developed by accretion over many years and now generally accepted in the economic and demographic research, postulates revolving around the concept of Malthusian stagnation and around a transition from stagnation to growth. The study presented here and earlier similar publications show that these postulates need to be replaced by interpretations based on the mathematical analysis of data and on the correct understanding of hyperbolic distributions.