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There Will Be Killing: Collectivization and Death of Draft Animals

Author

Listed:
  • Shuo Chen
  • Xiaohuan Lan

Abstract

The elimination of private property rights can lead to ineffcient use of productive assets. In China's collectivization movement from 1955 to 1957, instead of transferring draft animals to the ownership of the collectives, peasants slaughtered them to keep the meat and hide. By comparing 1,600 counties that launched the movement in different years, the difference-in-differences estimates suggest that the animal loss during the movement was 12 to 15 percent, or 7.4-9.5 million head. Grain output dropped by 7 percent due to lower animal inputs and lower productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuo Chen & Xiaohuan Lan, 2017. "There Will Be Killing: Collectivization and Death of Draft Animals," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 58-77, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:9:y:2017:i:4:p:58-77
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20160247
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Alberto Alesina & Marlon Seror & David Y. Yang & Yang You & Weihong Zeng, 2020. "Persistence through Revolutions," Working Papers DT/2020/09, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    2. Chen, Shuo & Lan, Xiaohuan, 2020. "Tractor vs. animal: Rural reforms and technology adoption in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    3. Gong, Binlei, 2018. "Interstate competition in agriculture: Cheer or fear? Evidence from the United States and China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 37-47.
    4. Paul Minard, 2020. "Institutions and China's comparative development," Papers 2001.02804, arXiv.org.
    5. Alberto F. Alesina & Marlon Seror & David Y. Yang & Yang You & Weihong Zeng, 2020. "Persistence Despite Revolutions," NBER Working Papers 27053, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Lu, Yi & Luan, Mengna & Sng, Tuan-Hwee, 2020. "Did the communists contribute to China’s rural growth?," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    7. Shuo Chen & Yaohui Peng & Danli Wang, 2024. "Communism and patricide: Collectivization and domestic violence in 1960s China," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(2), pages 703-727, May.
    8. Shinichi Kitano, 2020. "Formation Factors and Effects on Common Property Resource Conservation of Community Farms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-19, June.
    9. Cheng, Mingda & Du, Julan & Ye, Chunhui & Zhang, Qi, 2022. "Your misfortune is also mine: Land expropriation, property rights insecurity, and household behaviors in rural China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 1068-1086.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N45 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Asia including Middle East
    • N55 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Asia including Middle East
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights
    • P32 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Collectives; Communes; Agricultural Institutions
    • Q11 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Aggregate Supply and Demand Analysis; Prices

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