Pub Date : 2023-05-25DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2023.2209285
Shimaa Hatab
ABSTRACT The question of socio-economic underdevelopment in the Arab region has been a perennial theme in development studies. While some scholars highlight the long durée effect of the Ottoman institutional legacy, others place the blame on the legacy of exploitation and expropriation of the colonial practices in the region. The article reaches beyond the two accounts (albeit departing from the colonial economic basis) and brings out the agency of the post-colonial elites who altered the socio-economic foundation of the political class and transformed processes of capital accumulation and labour commodification. I argue that the processes of state-building accompanied by social engineering measures represented a ‘critical juncture’ that impinged on state autonomy and its bureaucratic capacity and left an indelible imprint on development strategies. The article unpacks three mechanisms that proved consequential for economic policy outcomes: (1) the degree of elite autonomy to formulate policies, (2) the power of social classes to contest economic policies, and (3) the capacity of state bureaucracy to implement policies and allocate resources. A critical political economy perspective, that reaches beyond the reification of the state and examines the interaction between ‘elite deals’ and ‘social bargains’, offers a nuanced account for varied development records across the region.
{"title":"Political economy of development in the Arab republics: The state and socio-economic coalitions","authors":"Shimaa Hatab","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2023.2209285","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2023.2209285","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The question of socio-economic underdevelopment in the Arab region has been a perennial theme in development studies. While some scholars highlight the long durée effect of the Ottoman institutional legacy, others place the blame on the legacy of exploitation and expropriation of the colonial practices in the region. The article reaches beyond the two accounts (albeit departing from the colonial economic basis) and brings out the agency of the post-colonial elites who altered the socio-economic foundation of the political class and transformed processes of capital accumulation and labour commodification. I argue that the processes of state-building accompanied by social engineering measures represented a ‘critical juncture’ that impinged on state autonomy and its bureaucratic capacity and left an indelible imprint on development strategies. The article unpacks three mechanisms that proved consequential for economic policy outcomes: (1) the degree of elite autonomy to formulate policies, (2) the power of social classes to contest economic policies, and (3) the capacity of state bureaucracy to implement policies and allocate resources. A critical political economy perspective, that reaches beyond the reification of the state and examines the interaction between ‘elite deals’ and ‘social bargains’, offers a nuanced account for varied development records across the region.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"281 - 304"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47583267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-21DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2023.2176842
Cecilia Lara
ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is, on the basis of new evidence, to contribute to the analysis of the performance of the manufacturing industries in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay during the state-led industrialization period and in comparison with a developed country. Specifically, this paper estimates the productivity gap between Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay relative to the United States in order to reveal whether convergence took place at the industry level. The results identify changes within the industrial sector in the three Latin American countries. In short, manufacturing in Brazil achieved substantial changes, which were reflected in favourable structural change and manufacturing convergence. Moreover, manufacturing convergence accelerated in Brazil in the 1960s, when the development model based on industrialization deepened. Structural transformation was weak in Uruguay and mild in Chile, and the ability to reduce technological gaps was limited to industries based on natural resources with medium and high levels of industrial protection. The latter must also be linked to the different pace of industrialization in these two countries, especially in Uruguay, where the industrializing impulse was exhausted very early on.
{"title":"Manufacturing convergence in the Southern Cone: New evidence for the industrialization period","authors":"Cecilia Lara","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2023.2176842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2023.2176842","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is, on the basis of new evidence, to contribute to the analysis of the performance of the manufacturing industries in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay during the state-led industrialization period and in comparison with a developed country. Specifically, this paper estimates the productivity gap between Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay relative to the United States in order to reveal whether convergence took place at the industry level. The results identify changes within the industrial sector in the three Latin American countries. In short, manufacturing in Brazil achieved substantial changes, which were reflected in favourable structural change and manufacturing convergence. Moreover, manufacturing convergence accelerated in Brazil in the 1960s, when the development model based on industrialization deepened. Structural transformation was weak in Uruguay and mild in Chile, and the ability to reduce technological gaps was limited to industries based on natural resources with medium and high levels of industrial protection. The latter must also be linked to the different pace of industrialization in these two countries, especially in Uruguay, where the industrializing impulse was exhausted very early on.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"173 - 197"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60048822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-30DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2023.2188438
Javier E. Rodríguez Weber
ABSTRACT Recent studies on income inequality have some characteristics that differentiate them from their earlier counterparts. The spotlight on high incomes has illuminated a new angle from which to view income inequality. Because estimates of top income shares can be used as a proxy for power inequality, they can enrich our comprehension of the role of the elite in Latin America’s economic development. However, scholars interested in studying the history of economic inequality in Latin America face certain methodological and theoretical problems of their own: (1) because food and other commodities such as minerals represent the lion’s share of exported goods in Latin America, cycles in commodity prices have shaped the region’s economic history. Thus, the crux of income inequality in Latin America is who becomes richer and who becomes poorer when exports prices rise and fall; and (2) the sort of fiscal statistics typically used capture only a few countries and sometimes only limited periods. Thus, as I argue, scholars should use dynamic social tables to produce new information. I exemplify both points with a historical analysis of three Latin American countries: Chile, Colombia, and Argentina.
{"title":"Top incomes and the ruling class in Latin American history. Some theoretical and methodological challenges","authors":"Javier E. Rodríguez Weber","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2023.2188438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2023.2188438","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Recent studies on income inequality have some characteristics that differentiate them from their earlier counterparts. The spotlight on high incomes has illuminated a new angle from which to view income inequality. Because estimates of top income shares can be used as a proxy for power inequality, they can enrich our comprehension of the role of the elite in Latin America’s economic development. However, scholars interested in studying the history of economic inequality in Latin America face certain methodological and theoretical problems of their own: (1) because food and other commodities such as minerals represent the lion’s share of exported goods in Latin America, cycles in commodity prices have shaped the region’s economic history. Thus, the crux of income inequality in Latin America is who becomes richer and who becomes poorer when exports prices rise and fall; and (2) the sort of fiscal statistics typically used capture only a few countries and sometimes only limited periods. Thus, as I argue, scholars should use dynamic social tables to produce new information. I exemplify both points with a historical analysis of three Latin American countries: Chile, Colombia, and Argentina.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"335 - 352"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49209453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-27DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2023.2179458
Damian Bębnowski
ABSTRACT This paper studies the main directions of development of Polish economic historiography in the country and in exile (in Great Britain and the United States) between 1945 and 1989. The analysis focuses on Polish economic history under various conditions (especially political ones) and the characteristics of selected research in exile (by Stanisław Swianiewicz, Władysław Wielhorski, Paweł Zaremba, Piotr Wojtowicz, Alfred Zauberman, Stanisław Kościałkowski, and Feliks Gross). The current literature focuses on the achievements of researchers in the country, while exile economic historiography is still marginalized. I analyse representative works of Polish researchers, comparing their issues and the methods used. It turns out that home economic historiography flourished, even under ideological constraints.
{"title":"On Polish economic historiography in exile, 1945–1989","authors":"Damian Bębnowski","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2023.2179458","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2023.2179458","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper studies the main directions of development of Polish economic historiography in the country and in exile (in Great Britain and the United States) between 1945 and 1989. The analysis focuses on Polish economic history under various conditions (especially political ones) and the characteristics of selected research in exile (by Stanisław Swianiewicz, Władysław Wielhorski, Paweł Zaremba, Piotr Wojtowicz, Alfred Zauberman, Stanisław Kościałkowski, and Feliks Gross). The current literature focuses on the achievements of researchers in the country, while exile economic historiography is still marginalized. I analyse representative works of Polish researchers, comparing their issues and the methods used. It turns out that home economic historiography flourished, even under ideological constraints.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"198 - 214"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42511586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-10DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2022.2150162
D. Juif, Sergio Garrido
ABSTRACT Large-scale copper mining has been the main industry in Chile and the countries conforming the Central African Copperbelt for about one century. While a relatively extensive social science literature exists on the mostly adverse macroeconomic and institutional effects of a high reliance on mineral exports and revenues, we address the effects on the labour force employed by this industry. We perform a novel inter-continental – as well as dynamic-historical – comparative assessment of the living standards of the domestic copper mineworkers in the three countries from ca1920 to ca1960. There are important similarities and disparities in levels and trends of real wages and other welfare provisions. In explaining the gap across continents, we discuss labour shortage and labour provision, productivity, and mobilization. We also highlight the underlying role of colonialism in determining the inter-continental differences. Copper miners are further found to have been better paid than other workers in all three countries.
{"title":"Living standards of copper mine labour in Chile and the Central African Copperbelt compared, 1920s to 1960s","authors":"D. Juif, Sergio Garrido","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2022.2150162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2022.2150162","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Large-scale copper mining has been the main industry in Chile and the countries conforming the Central African Copperbelt for about one century. While a relatively extensive social science literature exists on the mostly adverse macroeconomic and institutional effects of a high reliance on mineral exports and revenues, we address the effects on the labour force employed by this industry. We perform a novel inter-continental – as well as dynamic-historical – comparative assessment of the living standards of the domestic copper mineworkers in the three countries from ca1920 to ca1960. There are important similarities and disparities in levels and trends of real wages and other welfare provisions. In explaining the gap across continents, we discuss labour shortage and labour provision, productivity, and mobilization. We also highlight the underlying role of colonialism in determining the inter-continental differences. Copper miners are further found to have been better paid than other workers in all three countries.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"117 - 150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42172857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-20DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2022.2106211
Patricia Funjika
ABSTRACT This paper examines the role of precolonial class inequality systems in the intergenerational transmission of education processes amongst ethnic groups in Africa. Using ethnographic and household survey data from six African countries and grouping ethnic groups by the historical class system that existed within them, I observe variations in intergenerational persistence between them with varying levels of significance in the different countries included. The findings suggest that understanding intergenerational mobility within African countries should take into account the different historical ethnic group characteristics, although the mobility process does not evolve uniformly across countries. Country-specific colonial administrative systems and the immediate post-independence education policies are critical factors that also need to be taken into account to understand the changes in education-based intergenerational persistence from the precolonial to the contemporary period.
{"title":"Historical African ethnic class stratification systems and intergenerational transmission of education","authors":"Patricia Funjika","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2022.2106211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2022.2106211","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper examines the role of precolonial class inequality systems in the intergenerational transmission of education processes amongst ethnic groups in Africa. Using ethnographic and household survey data from six African countries and grouping ethnic groups by the historical class system that existed within them, I observe variations in intergenerational persistence between them with varying levels of significance in the different countries included. The findings suggest that understanding intergenerational mobility within African countries should take into account the different historical ethnic group characteristics, although the mobility process does not evolve uniformly across countries. Country-specific colonial administrative systems and the immediate post-independence education policies are critical factors that also need to be taken into account to understand the changes in education-based intergenerational persistence from the precolonial to the contemporary period.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"89 - 116"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42125043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-02DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2022.2103306
Dozie Okoye
ABSTRACT Christian missionaries spread across the African continent in the early twentieth century following the expansion of colonial control, and invested in various areas of African societies in order to gain converts. This paper describes the recent literature in economic history that attempts to document and estimate the long-run impacts of Christian missions, including outstanding issues in the literature. The paper summarizes recent studies that attempt to tackle these issues. One conclusion is that more micro data is needed on the evolution of African societies as a result of missionary activities in order to fully document the mechanisms behind the long-run impact of missions.
{"title":"Historical Christian missions and African societies today: Perspectives from economic history","authors":"Dozie Okoye","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2022.2103306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2022.2103306","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Christian missionaries spread across the African continent in the early twentieth century following the expansion of colonial control, and invested in various areas of African societies in order to gain converts. This paper describes the recent literature in economic history that attempts to document and estimate the long-run impacts of Christian missions, including outstanding issues in the literature. The paper summarizes recent studies that attempt to tackle these issues. One conclusion is that more micro data is needed on the evolution of African societies as a result of missionary activities in order to fully document the mechanisms behind the long-run impact of missions.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"37 1","pages":"315 - 332"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42373087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-11DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2022.2099371
Tirthankar Roy
ABSTRACT For centuries, the world’s tropical regions have been poorer than the temperate-zone countries. Does tropicality make the struggle for economic development harder? What do people caught up in the struggle do? The paper defines ‘tropicality’ as the combination of aridity and seasonal rainfall, and in turn, high inter- and intra-year variability in moisture influx. In the past, this condition would generate a variety of adaptive strategies such as migration and transhumance. In the twentieth century, the response pattern changed from adapting to moisture supply towards control of moisture supply. This process unleashed conflict and environmental stress in the vulnerable geography of the semi-arid tropics.
{"title":"The development of the arid tropics: Lessons for economic history","authors":"Tirthankar Roy","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2022.2099371","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2022.2099371","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT For centuries, the world’s tropical regions have been poorer than the temperate-zone countries. Does tropicality make the struggle for economic development harder? What do people caught up in the struggle do? The paper defines ‘tropicality’ as the combination of aridity and seasonal rainfall, and in turn, high inter- and intra-year variability in moisture influx. In the past, this condition would generate a variety of adaptive strategies such as migration and transhumance. In the twentieth century, the response pattern changed from adapting to moisture supply towards control of moisture supply. This process unleashed conflict and environmental stress in the vulnerable geography of the semi-arid tropics.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"151 - 172"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47228851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2022.2082407
M. Wroński
ABSTRACT In 1923 Poland introduced an extraordinary wealth tax. I have used internal statistics of the Ministry of the Treasury to estimate wealth inequality in interwar Poland. This data source was not previously used by researchers. There are no estimates of wealth inequality in interwar Poland available in the literature. According to my estimates, the top 0.01% of wealth owners controlled 14.8% of total private wealth. The wealth share of the top 1% stood at 37.5%. The top decile owned 60.7% of total private wealth. Wealth inequality varied strongly by region. A comparison of wealth inequality in Poland with wealth inequality in other European countries in the interwar period yields a diverse picture. The wealth share of the top 0.01% was the highest in Europe, the wealth share of the top 1% was in the middle of the European ranking, and the wealth share of the top 10% was almost the lowest in Europe. The small elite of super-rich (0.01%) controlled a higher share of national wealth than their European peers, but the wealth share of the rest of the top decile was relatively low. The unequal development of former partitions may partially explain the very high top wealth shares.
{"title":"Wealth inequality in interwar Poland","authors":"M. Wroński","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2022.2082407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2022.2082407","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In 1923 Poland introduced an extraordinary wealth tax. I have used internal statistics of the Ministry of the Treasury to estimate wealth inequality in interwar Poland. This data source was not previously used by researchers. There are no estimates of wealth inequality in interwar Poland available in the literature. According to my estimates, the top 0.01% of wealth owners controlled 14.8% of total private wealth. The wealth share of the top 1% stood at 37.5%. The top decile owned 60.7% of total private wealth. Wealth inequality varied strongly by region. A comparison of wealth inequality in Poland with wealth inequality in other European countries in the interwar period yields a diverse picture. The wealth share of the top 0.01% was the highest in Europe, the wealth share of the top 1% was in the middle of the European ranking, and the wealth share of the top 10% was almost the lowest in Europe. The small elite of super-rich (0.01%) controlled a higher share of national wealth than their European peers, but the wealth share of the rest of the top decile was relatively low. The unequal development of former partitions may partially explain the very high top wealth shares.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"38 1","pages":"1 - 40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43160953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-20DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2022.2067747
Ángel Luis González-Esteban, Elisa Botella-Rodríguez
ABSTRACT Productivity in agriculture tends to grow slower than in other sectors. This is a stylized fact that has resulted in a persistent productivity gap, generalized over time and across countries. This paper explores the evolution of this gap from an international perspective, identifying patterns in both developed and developing countries. Empirical regularities are discussed in the light of a literature review on the causes of the gap and its socio-economic effects. Reflections on the nature of the productivity gap often merge with considerations on its social implications and on the policies that should be implemented to deal with it. We refer to this wider political economy issue as the ‘farm problem’, and argue that it has not been given a satisfactory solution, neither in rich nor in developing countries. Although in some industrialized countries the discharging of the countryside has acted as a major source of convergence, there has not been a general reduction in the productivity gap between agriculture and the rest of the economy worldwide, nor are there compelling reasons to assume that this will happen in the future.
{"title":"The agricultural productivity gap: A global vision","authors":"Ángel Luis González-Esteban, Elisa Botella-Rodríguez","doi":"10.1080/20780389.2022.2067747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20780389.2022.2067747","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Productivity in agriculture tends to grow slower than in other sectors. This is a stylized fact that has resulted in a persistent productivity gap, generalized over time and across countries. This paper explores the evolution of this gap from an international perspective, identifying patterns in both developed and developing countries. Empirical regularities are discussed in the light of a literature review on the causes of the gap and its socio-economic effects. Reflections on the nature of the productivity gap often merge with considerations on its social implications and on the policies that should be implemented to deal with it. We refer to this wider political economy issue as the ‘farm problem’, and argue that it has not been given a satisfactory solution, neither in rich nor in developing countries. Although in some industrialized countries the discharging of the countryside has acted as a major source of convergence, there has not been a general reduction in the productivity gap between agriculture and the rest of the economy worldwide, nor are there compelling reasons to assume that this will happen in the future.","PeriodicalId":54115,"journal":{"name":"Economic History of Developing Regions","volume":"37 1","pages":"257 - 287"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43797961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}