Jeanne Cilliers
Researcher
Did it pay to be a pioneer? Wealth accumulation in a newly settled frontier society
Author
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
Full text
Document type
Working paper
Topic
- Economic History
Status
Published