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Jeanne Cilliers . Photo

Jeanne Cilliers

Researcher

Jeanne Cilliers . Photo

Did it pay to be a pioneer? Wealth accumulation in a newly settled frontier society

Author

  • Jeanne Cilliers
  • Erik Green
  • Robert Ross

Summary, in English

While wealth-holding patterns in rural areas have been well studied, the link between initial conditions, prospects for wealth accumulation, and the persistence of inequality at an agricultural frontier is less clear. On the one hand, the frontier is thought to have had a levelling effect, with the availability of cheap land acting as an equalizer. On the other hand, land rents, accumulated during the settlement process, are thought to have the opposite effect. In this paper, we contribute to the debate on inequality in pre-industrial societies using a unique dataset that allows us to identify different wealth-accumulation strategies in an agrarian frontier society: the Graaff-Reinet district in South Africa’s Cape Colony between 1786-1850.

Department/s

  • Department of Economic History
  • Economic development of the Global South
  • Faculty Office

Publishing year

2022

Language

English

Publication/Series

Lund papers in Economic history

Issue

2022:237

Document type

Working paper

Topic

  • Economic History

Status

Published