Nature or Nurture? Explaining English Wheat Yields in the Industrial Revolution, c.1770
构建了18世纪首个农业生产函数，量化了新技术对英国小麦产量的影响，发现芜菁和条播机等创新比传统技术更有效，且气候比土壤质量更重要，挑战了英国成功源于自然禀赋的观点。
This article presents the first agricultural production function for the eighteenth century, thereby quantifying the effect of many new technologies coming on stream in English agriculture. It shows that some traditional technologies were effective in raising wheat yields, such as drainage and marling; but some innovations of the eighteenth century were much more effective, particularly turnips and seed drills. Environmental factors are incorporated into the model. Climate is shown to be a crucial factor in determining yields but soil quality was much less important. This undermines the accepted argument that England's success was due to a superior natural endowment.