Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Lund Papers in Economic History,
Lund University, Department of Economic History

No 197: Legacies of Loss: The intergenerational outcomes of slaveholder compensation in the British Cape Colony

Igor Martins (), Jeanne Cilliers () and Johan Fourie ()
Additional contact information
Igor Martins: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Postal: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Box 7083, S-220 07 Lund, Sweden
Jeanne Cilliers: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Postal: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Box 7083, S-220 07 Lund, Sweden
Johan Fourie: Stellenbosch University

Abstract: Can wealth shocks have intergenerational health consequences? We use the partial compensation slaveholders received after the 1834 slave emancipation in the British Cape Colony to measure the intergenerational effects of a wealth loss on longevity. Because the share of partial compensation received was uncorrelated to wealth, we can interpret the results as having a causal influence. We find that a greater loss of slave wealth shortened the lifespans of the generation of slaveholders that experienced the shock and those of their children, but not those of their grandchildren. We speculate on the mechanisms for this intergenerational persistence.

Keywords: intergenerational health; intergenerational persistence; wealth shock; lifespan; longevity; slaveemancipation; Cape Colony

JEL-codes: D60; I19; J47; N37; N47; N97

53 pages, March 20, 2019

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