Aspectos econômicos da Peste Negra na Europa Ocidental: o modelo de armadilha Malthusiana de Gregory Clark

The objective of this article is to analyze the economic aspects of the Black Death in Western Europe, using the Neomalthusian model proposed by Gregory Clark. The economic and social conditions of medieval Europe created a Malthusian trap, letting itself vulnerable to the plague. After the plague raze the continent, there was a relative improvement in the living conditions and lower inequality levels. The article describes Clark’s model, defending this result is linked to demographic changes caused by the plague and they help to explain the levels of economic growth and the breaking down of the Malthusian trap. The model is also controversial for several reasons and it seeks to be an alternative to the institutionalist (or Smithian) view of the plague, focused on the institutional conditions, instead of the fitness of the European people. The article concludes that the effects of the Black Death must be studied deeper.