Structural instability and alternative development scenarios

Many past societies grew and flourished for several generations, and some for many centuries, prior to experiencing calamities that lowered wealth and/or productivity below some “critical levels.” In some cases, a collapse occurred; in others, the population reductions caused by emigration, plague, or warfare not only extended societies’ survival but induced a growth resurgence. These varied historical development scenarios are captured using a comparative dynamic analysis of structurally unstable variations of the Solow–Swan growth model. These results would seem to be relevant for understanding possibilities in the contemporary world.