What have the Romans ever done for us?

Tim Worstall at the Adam Smith Institute highlights a fascinating piece of research that shows how the legacy of ancient Rome impacts economic development to this day:

“The study identifies the persistence of the Roman road network until the present as an important factor causing this development advantage of the formerly Roman part of Germany both by fostering city growth and by allowing for a denser road network.”

A remarkable legacy.

Tim Worstall’s post, here.

The underlying research, from the University of Hohenheim Institute of Economics, here.

And, of course, Monty Python’s contribution to the debate, here …