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Escaping Local Risk by Entering Indentureship: Evidence from Nineteenth-Century Indian Migration

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  • Persaud, Alexander

Abstract

Of the millions of Indians who migrated internationally in the long nineteenth century, over one million went as indentured servants in a massive South-South migration. I test how price volatility in origin markets in India affected out-migration under indentureship contracts from 1873–1916 to four major destinations around the world. Using new, unique district-level flows calculated from roughly 250,000 individual records, I show that indentureship take-up is consistent with migrating to escape local price volatility.

Suggested Citation

  • Persaud, Alexander, 2019. "Escaping Local Risk by Entering Indentureship: Evidence from Nineteenth-Century Indian Migration," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 79(2), pages 447-476, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:79:y:2019:i:02:p:447-476_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Persaud, 2023. "A (paid) passage to India: Migration and revealed willingness to pay for upper‐caste status," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(3), pages 652-674, July.
    2. Ewout Frankema & Marlous van Waijenburg, 2023. "What about the race between education and technology in the Global South? Comparing skill premiums in colonial Africa and Asia," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(3), pages 941-978, August.
    3. Persaud, Alexander, 2023. "Historical height measurement consistency: Evidence from colonial Trinidad," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Frankema, Ewout & van Waijenburg, Marlous, 2019. "The Great Convergence. Skill Accumulation and Mass Education in Africa and Asia, 1870-2010," CEPR Discussion Papers 14150, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Neha Hui & Uma S. Kambhampati, 2022. "Between unfreedoms: The role of caste in decisions to repatriate among indentured workers," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 75(2), pages 421-446, May.
    6. Kota Ogasawara, 2023. "Consumption Smoothing in Metropolis: Evidence from Working-class Households in Prewar Tokyo," Papers 2311.14320, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2024.

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