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The fruits of the boom: real wages and housing costs in Dakar, Senegal (1914-1960)

Author

Listed:
  • Westland, Tom

    (African Economic History Network)

Abstract

The incomes of unskilled workers in Dakar under colonial rule was comparable to those of their counterparts elsewhere in West Africa. Real urban wages grew during the Great Depression and the ‘developmental decade’ following World War II, though accounting properly for housing costs results in substantial downward revision to both the level and growth of real wages. This paper argues that a similar revision is likely necessary for real wage estimates in other colonies in Africa. The magnitude of this correction suggests that much of the fruits of the economic boom of the first half of the twentieth century were ‘soaked up’ by urban landlords, pointing to an important driver of inequality in urban colonial Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Westland, Tom, 2021. "The fruits of the boom: real wages and housing costs in Dakar, Senegal (1914-1960)," African Economic History Working Paper 60/2021, African Economic History Network.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:afekhi:2021_060
    DOI: https://www.aehnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AEHN-WP-60-1.pdf
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Africa; Senegal; Real Wages; Housing Costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N17 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N37 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N57 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Africa; Oceania

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