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Property Rights and Economic Growth: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

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  • Brunt, Liam

Abstract

In 1795 the British took control of the Cape colony (South Africa) from the Dutch; and in 1843 they exogenously changed the legal basis of landholding, giving more secure property rights to landholders. Since endowments and other factors were held constant, these changes offer clean tests of the effects on economic growth of colonial identity and secure property rights. The effects of both changes were immediate, positive and large. Other legal and institutional changes, such as the move to a common law system in 1827, had no such effects on economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Brunt, Liam, 2007. "Property Rights and Economic Growth: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," CEPR Discussion Papers 6404, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:6404
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    Cited by:

    1. Constantinos Alexiou & Persefoni Tsaliki & Hashim Rasha Osman, 2014. "Institutional Quality And Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence From The Sudanese Economy," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 59(203), pages 119-138, October –.
    2. Catherine Paul & Marcelo O. Torres & Ronald Felthoven, 2009. "Fishing Revenue, Productivity and Product Choice in the Alaskan Pollock Fishery," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 44(4), pages 457-474, December.
    3. James Foreman-Peck & Leslie Hannah, 2015. "The diffusion and impact of the corporation in 1910," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(3), pages 962-984, August.
    4. Beck, T.H.L., 2010. "Legal Institutions and Economic Development," Other publications TiSEM 8aa07b48-ce55-4cf6-8754-7, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Braunfels, Elias, 2016. "Further Unbundling Institutions," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 13/2016, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    6. Salamatu Bellah Conteh & Yuan Yijun & Brima Sesay, 2021. "Economic Growth Effects of the Interaction of Trade Openness and Institutions Quality: Empirical Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 11(1), pages 34-48.
    7. Pääkkönen, Jenni, 2010. "Economic freedom as driver of growth in transition," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 469-479, December.
    8. Rasha Hashim Osman & Constantinos Alexiou & Persefoni Tsaliki, 2012. "The role of institutions in economic development: Evidence from 27 Sub-Saharan African countries," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 39(2), pages 142-160, January.
    9. Pim de Zwart, 2011. "Real wages at the Cape of Good Hope: A long-term perspective, 1652-1912," Working Papers 0013, Utrecht University, Centre for Global Economic History.
    10. Pääkkönen, Jenni, 2009. "Economic freedom as a driver for growth in transition," BOFIT Discussion Papers 1/2009, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic growth; Legal origins; Property rights;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N47 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Africa; Oceania
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

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