Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Lund Papers in Economic History,
Lund University, Department of Economic History
No 237: Did it pay to be a pioneer? Wealth accumulation in a newly settled frontier society
Jeanne Cilliers (), Erik Green () and Robert Ross
Additional contact information
Jeanne Cilliers: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Postal: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Box 7083, S-220 07 Lund, Sweden
Erik Green: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Postal: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Box 7083, S-220 07 Lund, Sweden
Robert Ross: Institute for History, Leiden University
Abstract: 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.
Keywords: South Africa; pre-industrial; frontier; wealth accumulation; life-cycle
Language: English
43 pages, February 18, 2022
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