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Land distribution and inequality in a black settler colony: the case of Sierra Leone, 1792–1831

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  • Galli, Stefania
  • Rönnbäck, Klas
Abstract
Land distribution is considered to be one of the main contributors to inequality in pre-industrial societies. This article contributes to the debate on the origins of economic inequality in pre-industrial African societies by studying land inequality at a particularly early stage of African economic history. The research examines land distribution and inequality in land ownership among settlers in the Colony of Sierra Leone for three benchmark years over the first 40 years of its existence. The findings show that land inequality was low at the founding of the Colony but increased substantially over time. We suggest that this increase was enabled by a shift in the type of egalitarianism pursued by the colonial authorities, which was reflected in a change in the redistributive policy applied, which allowed later settlers to appropriate land more freely than had been previously possible.

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  • Galli, Stefania & Rönnbäck, Klas, 2021. "Land distribution and inequality in a black settler colony: the case of Sierra Leone, 1792–1831," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112144, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:112144
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    Cited by:

    1. Stefania Galli & Dimitrios Theodoridis & Klas Rönnbäck, 2023. "Economic inequality in Latin America and Africa, 1650 to 1950: Can a comparison of historical trajectories help to understand underdevelopment?," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(1), pages 41-64, January.
    2. Dexian Chen & Hao Hu & Chengxiao Song & Hang Lv, 2022. "Land Inequality and Its Influencing Factors in Rural China in Modern Times: A Systematic Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-21, July.
    3. Ellen Hillbom & Jutta Bolt & Michiel de Haas & Federico Tadei, 2024. "Income inequality and export‐oriented commercialization in colonial Africa: Evidence from six countries," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(3), pages 975-1004, August.
    4. Vito Ricci & Giacomo Zanibelli, 2021. "For a Multidimensional Measure of Land Inequality in 1930s Italy. A Historical-Statistical Analysis," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 2107, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.

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    JEL classification:

    • N57 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Africa; Oceania

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