中文摘要
在十九世纪后期，不到二十年间，北美野牛便濒临灭绝。我们证明，野牛的消失对依赖野牛的印第安人产生了直接的负面后果，并最终导致命运的持久逆转。曾经属于世界上身材最高的人群之列，野牛屠杀之后出生的依赖野牛的世代失去了其全部身高优势。到二十世纪初，与从未依赖野牛的民族相比，野牛民族的儿童死亡率高出16个百分点，报告有职业的概率低19个百分点。在二十世纪后半叶直至当下，野牛民族的人均收入平均仍低25%。这一持久差距无法由农业生产率、自治或《道斯法案》实施的差异来解释。我们提供的证据表明，这一历史冲击改变了原先依赖野牛的民族的发展动态路径。我们证明，信贷获取受限约束了野牛民族通过再专业化与迁移进行调整的能力。
Abstract
Abstract In the late nineteenth century, the North American bison was brought to the brink of extinction in less than two decades. We demonstrate that the loss of the bison had immediate, negative consequences for the Native Americans who relied on them and ultimately resulted in a persistent reversal of fortunes. Once amongst the tallest people in the world, the generations of bison-reliant people born after the slaughter lost their entire height advantage. By the early twentieth century, child mortality was 16 percentage points higher and the probability of reporting an occupation 19 percentage points lower in bison nations compared with nations that were never reliant on the bison. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century and into the present, income per capita has remained 25% lower, on average, for bison nations. This persistent gap cannot be explained by differences in agricultural productivity, self-governance, or application of the Dawes Act. We provide evidence that this historical shock altered the dynamic path of development for formerly bison-reliant nations. We demonstrate that limited access to credit constrained the ability of bison nations to adjust through re-specialization and migration.