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The ecological footprint of early-modern commodities Coefficients of land use per unit of product

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  • Theodoridis, Dimitrios

    (Department of Economic History, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

Abstract

Land availability and overseas trade have been central topics in economic history. The current paper contributes to this literature by setting the empirical foundations necessary for the calculation of the direct ecological footprints of more than eighty traded commodities throughout the 19th and early 20th century. The main focus is placed upon products which were heavily traded by and within the British Empire during this period. Various secondary sources have been reviewed and are critically discussed while the methodological steps that have been followed for the calculation of an acreage conversion factor for each product are analyzed in detail. The data presented here can be useful for researchers examining the importance of ghost acreages and ecological footprint historically but also the role of natural resources and land use in a long term perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Theodoridis, Dimitrios, 2017. "The ecological footprint of early-modern commodities Coefficients of land use per unit of product," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 21, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunhis:0021
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/51684
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    Cited by:

    1. Öberg, Stefan, 2017. "An introduction to using twin births as instrumental variables for sibship size," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 22, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
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    3. Hamark, Jesper & Turner, Russell, 2021. "Wage distribution within the Swedish State Railways, 1877–1951: Material and methods," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 28, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
    4. Klas Rönnbäck & Dimitrios Theodoridis, 2019. "African agricultural productivity and the transatlantic slave trade: evidence from Senegambia in the nineteenth century," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 72(1), pages 209-232, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ecological footprint; trade; 19th century; ghost acres; Britain; land productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N01 - Economic History - - General - - - Development of the Discipline: Historiographical; Sources and Methods
    • N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N70 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade

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