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Selection in the Market for Slaves: New Orleans, 1830–1860

Author

Listed:
  • Jonathan B. Pritchett
  • Richard M. Chamberlain

Abstract

Greenwald and Glasspiegel argue that adverse selection depressed the market prices of slaves, causing current researchers to overestimate the rate of return from slavery. In this paper we test for the presence of adverse selection by comparing the prices of local slaves with the prices of slaves sold from estate sales. We find no difference in the prices of these slaves, from which we conclude that there was no significant adverse selection in the market. Instead, we propose an alternative explanation for the observed pattern of slave prices based on the costs of shipping slaves to the New Orleans market.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan B. Pritchett & Richard M. Chamberlain, 1993. "Selection in the Market for Slaves: New Orleans, 1830–1860," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(2), pages 461-473.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:qjecon:v:108:y:1993:i:2:p:461-473.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.2307/2118339
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Richard C. Sutch, 2018. "The Economics of African American Slavery: The Cliometrics Debate," NBER Working Papers 25197, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Pritchett, Jonathan & Freudenberger, Herman, 2016. "A Peculiar Sample: A Reply to Steckel and Ziebarth," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 76(1), pages 139-162, March.
    3. Saito, Tetsuya, 2006. "Shipping the Good Apples Out: Alchian-Allen Theorem of Various Qualities," MPRA Paper 883, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 20 Nov 2006.
    4. Bodenhorn, Howard & Guinnane, Timothy W. & Mroz, Thomas A., 2013. "Problems of Sample-Selection Bias in the Historical Heights Literature: A Theoretical and Econometric Analysis," Working Papers 114, Yale University, Department of Economics.
    5. Hoffmann, Vivian & Mutiga, Samuel & Harvey, Jagger & Nelson, Rebecca & Milgroom, Michael, 2013. "Asymmetric Information and Food Safety: Maize in Kenya," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 151288, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Howard Bodenhorn & Timothy Guinnane & Thomas Mroz, 2014. "Caveat Lector: Sample Selection in Historical Heights and the Interpretation of Early Industrializing Economies," NBER Working Papers 19955, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Anagol, Santosh, 2017. "Adverse selection in asset markets: Theory and evidence from the Indian market for cows," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 58-72.
    8. Jan Richard Heier, 2010. "Accounting for the Business of Suffering: A Study of the Antebellum Richmond, Virginia, Slave Trade," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 46(1), pages 60-83, March.
    9. Choo, Eugene & Eid, Jean, 2008. "Interregional Price Difference in the New Orleans Auctions Market for Slaves," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 26, pages 486-509.
    10. Ewing, Bradley T. & Payne, James E. & Thornton, Mark & Yanochik, Mark A., 2002. "Price Transmission in the Antebellum Slave Markets: A Time Series Analysis," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 32(2), pages 275-292, Summer/Fa.
    11. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:6:y:2008:i:30:p:1-12 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Calomiris, Charles W. & Pritchett, Jonathan B., 2009. "Preserving Slave Families for Profit: Traders' Incentives and Pricing in the New Orleans Slave Market," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 69(4), pages 986-1011, December.
    13. Tetsuya Saito, 2008. "An Expository Note on Alchian-Allen Theorem When Sub-Utility Functions are Homogeneous of Degree n > 0 with Two-Stage Budgeting," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 6(30), pages 1-12.

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