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Land Conflicts, Property Rights, and the Rise of the Export Economy in Colombia, 1850–1925

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  • Sánchez, Fabio
  • López-Uribe, María del Pilar
  • Fazio, Antonella

Abstract

The poor performance of the Colombian economy in the world markets during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are attributable, in part, to the weakness of settlers’ property rights in frontier lands. To examine this issue, we collected data on production of agricultural exports at county (municipal) level in 1892, coffee production in 1925, and of public land allocation and land conflicts during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The quantitative analysis suggests that in the absence of land conflicts, the per capita production of agricultural exports would have been in 1925 at least twice as much as that observed.

Suggested Citation

  • Sánchez, Fabio & López-Uribe, María del Pilar & Fazio, Antonella, 2010. "Land Conflicts, Property Rights, and the Rise of the Export Economy in Colombia, 1850–1925," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(2), pages 378-399, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:70:y:2010:i:02:p:378-399_00
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    1. Joana Naritomi & Rodrigo R. Soares & Juliano J. Assunção, 2007. "Rent Seeking and the Unveiling of 'De Facto' Institutions: Development and Colonial Heritage within Brazil," NBER Working Papers 13545, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Naritomi, Joana & Soares, Rodrigo R. & Assunção, Juliano J., 2012. "Institutional Development and Colonial Heritage within Brazil," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(2), pages 393-422, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Giles & Ren Mu, 2018. "Village Political Economy, Land Tenure Insecurity, and the Rural to Urban Migration Decision: Evidence from China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(2), pages 521-544.
    2. Faguet, Jean-Paul & Sánchez, Fabio & Villaveces, Marta-Juanita, 2020. "The perversion of public land distribution by landed elites: Power, inequality and development in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    3. Eslava, Francisco & Valencia Caicedo, Felipe, 2023. "Origins of Latin American Inequality," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12940, Inter-American Development Bank.
    4. Jaime Bonet-Morón & Jhorland Ayala-García & Jorge Guerra-España, 2024. "Staying in Power: How Does Political Continuity Shape Debt," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 331, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    5. Lopez-Uribe, Maria del Pilar & Sanchez Torres, Fabio, 2024. "Ideology and Rifles: The Agrarian Origins of Civil Conflict in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    6. Flores Thomas Edward, 2014. "Vertical Inequality, Land Reform, and Insurgency in Colombia," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 20(1), pages 5-31, January.
    7. Ma, Shuang & Mu, Ren, 2017. "Forced off Farm? Labor Allocation Response to Land Requisition in Rural China," IZA Discussion Papers 10640, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Gary D. Libecap, 2018. "Property Rights to Frontier Land and Minerals: US Exceptionalism," NBER Working Papers 24544, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Irina Rosa Espana E & Irina Rosa España E. y Fabio Sánchez T., 2012. "Colonial Mestizaje and its Consequences for Human Capital and Early Twentieth Century Regional Industrialization in Colombia," Documentos CEDE 10015, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    10. Maria Paula Saffon & Fabio Sánchez, 2019. "Historical grievances and war dynamics: Old land conflicts as a cause of current forced displacements in Colombia," Documentos CEDE 17320, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    11. Albertus, Michael, 2019. "The effect of commodity price shocks on public lands distribution: Evidence from Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 294-308.
    12. Berry, Kevin & Delmond, Anthony R. & Morin Chassé, Rémi & Strandholm, John C. & Shogren, Jason F., 2022. "A bargaining experiment under weak property rights, with implications for indigenous title claims," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    13. Aguirre, Alvaro, 2019. "Rebellions, Technical Change, and the Early Development of Political Institutions in Latin America," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 65-89.
    14. Juan David Torres, 2022. "Shaping inequality? Property rights, landed elites and public lands in Colombia," Documentos CEDE 20514, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    15. Ma, Shuang & Mu, Ren, 2020. "Forced off the farm? Farmers’ labor allocation response to land requisition in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    16. Leopoldo Fergusson & Carlos Molina & James A. Robinson & Juan F. Vargas, 2017. "The Long Shadow of the Past: Political Economy of Regional Inequality in Colombia," Documentos CEDE 15445, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N5 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries
    • N56 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • N76 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • P14 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Property Rights

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