IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/spmain/hal-01065992.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Do Frontiers give or do frontiers take ? The case of intercontinental trade in France at the end of the Ancien Régime

Author

Listed:
  • Guillaume Daudin

    (OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po)

Abstract

This paper studies the role of French intercontinental trade in the accumulation of domestic capital at the end of the Ancien Régime. It uses O'Brien's method to measure the amount of annual profits generated from this sector. The marginal profits are then computed by estimating what return the resources invested in the intercontinental sector would have had if they had been invested domestically instead. Finally, using the notion of "hearth of growth," the paper suggests that international trade was important for the French economy in spite of its modest aggregate returns.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillaume Daudin, 2006. "Do Frontiers give or do frontiers take ? The case of intercontinental trade in France at the end of the Ancien Régime," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-01065992, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-01065992
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-01065992
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-01065992/document
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daudin, Guillaume, 2004. "Profitability of Slave and Long-Distance Trading in Context: The Case of Eighteenth-Century France," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 64(1), pages 144-171, March.
    2. Darity, William, 1985. "The Numbers Game and the Profitability of the British Trade in Slaves," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(3), pages 693-703, September.
    3. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    4. Paul M. Romer, 1989. "Increasing Returns and New Developments in the Theory of Growth," NBER Working Papers 3098, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Robert Paul Thomas, 1968. "The Sugar Colonies of the Old Empire:Profit or Loss for Great Britain?," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 21(1), pages 30-45, April.
    6. Rebelo, Sergio, 1991. "Long-Run Policy Analysis and Long-Run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 500-521, June.
    7. R. B. Sheridan, 1965. "The Wealth of Jamaica in the Eighteenth Century," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 18(2), pages 292-311, August.
    8. Solow, Barbara L., 1985. "Caribbean slavery and British growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 99-115.
    9. Jérôme Glachant, 1995. "Croissance et structure du système productif dans une économie log-linéaire," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 39, pages 33-66.
    10. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    11. T.M. Devine, 1976. "The Colonial Trades and Industrial Investment in Scotland, c. 1700-1815," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 29(1), pages 1-13, February.
    12. Inikori, Joseph E., 1990. "The credit needs of the African trade and the development of the credit economy in England," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 197-231, April.
    13. Coelho, Philip R. P., 1973. "The profitability of imperialism: The British experience in the West indies 1768-1772," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 253-280.
    14. Inikori, J. E., 1981. "Market Structure and the Profits of the British African Trade in the Late Eighteenth Century," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(4), pages 745-776, December.
    15. Eltis, David & Engerman, Stanley L., 2000. "The Importance of Slavery and the Slave Trade to Industrializing Britain," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(1), pages 123-144, March.
    16. Engerman, Stanley L., 1972. "The Slave Trade and British Capital Formation in the Eighteenth Century: A Comment on the Williams Thesis," Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(4), pages 430-443, January.
    17. Guillaume Daudin, 2002. "The quality of slave trade investment in eighteenth century France," Documents de Travail de l'OFCE 2002-06, Observatoire Francais des Conjonctures Economiques (OFCE).
    18. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/691 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Thomas, Robert Paul & Bean, Richard Nelson, 1974. "The Fishers of Men: The Profits of the Slave Trade," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(4), pages 885-914, December.
    20. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/691 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Solow, Barbara L., 1985. "Caribbean slavery and British growth : The Eric Williams hypothesis," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1-2), pages 99-115.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kevin H. O'Rourke & Leandro Prados de la Escosura & Guillaume Daudin, 2008. "Trade and Empire, 1700-1870," Trinity Economics Papers tep0208, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics, revised May 2008.
    2. Guillaume Daudin, 2006. "Profits du commerce intercontinental et croissance dans la France du xviiie siècle," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 57(3), pages 605-613.
    3. Guillaume Daudin, 2002. "The quality of slave trade investment in eighteenth century France," Documents de Travail de l'OFCE 2002-06, Observatoire Francais des Conjonctures Economiques (OFCE).
    4. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/684 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/684 is not listed on IDEAS

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/684 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/684 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/684 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/684 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Guillaume Daudin, 2006. "Profits du commerce intercontinental et croissance dans la France du xviiie siècle," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 57(3), pages 605-613.
    6. Gregory Price & Warren Whatley, 2021. "Did profitable slave trading enable the expansion of empire?: The Asiento de Negros, the South Sea Company and the financial revolution in Great Britain," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 15(3), pages 675-718, September.
    7. van de Klundert, T.C.M.J. & Smulders, J.A., 1991. "Reconstructing growth theory : A survey," Other publications TiSEM 19355c51-17eb-4d5d-aa66-b, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    8. Daudin, Guillaume, 2004. "Profitability of Slave and Long-Distance Trading in Context: The Case of Eighteenth-Century France," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 64(1), pages 144-171, March.
    9. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James Robinson, 2005. "The Rise of Europe: Atlantic Trade, Institutional Change, and Economic Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 546-579, June.
    10. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/687 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Solow, Barbara L., 1985. "Caribbean slavery and British growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 99-115.
    12. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/687 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Dalton, John T. & Leung, Tin Cheuk, 2015. "Dispersion and distortions in the trans-Atlantic slave trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 412-425.
    14. Stephan Heblich & Stephen J. Redding & Hans-Joachim Voth, 2022. "Slavery and the British Industrial Revolution," CEP Discussion Papers dp1884, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    15. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/687 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/687 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Schneider, Johannes & Ziesemer, Thomas, 1994. "What's New and What's Old in New Growth Theory: Endogenous Technology, Microfoundation, and Growth Rate Predictions," MPRA Paper 56132, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Alfò, Marco & Carbonari, Lorenzo & Trovato, Giovanni, 2023. "On the effects of taxation on growth: an empirical assessment," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(5), pages 1289-1318, July.
    19. Sushil Kumar Haldar, 2009. "Economic Growth in India Revisited," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 10(1), pages 105-126, January.
    20. Adriana Di Liberto, 2007. "Convergence and Divergence in Neoclassical Growth Models with Human Capital," Economia politica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 2, pages 289-322.
    21. Jeon, Heesang, 2015. "Knowledge and Contemporary Capitalism in Light of Marx's Value Theory," Thesis Commons g5njk, Center for Open Science.
    22. Daren, Conrad, 2007. "Education and Economic Growth: Is There a Link?," MPRA Paper 18176, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2009.
    23. Silvia Bertarelli, 2006. "Public capital and growth," Politica economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 3, pages 361-398.
    24. Schilirò, Daniele, 2006. "Crescita economica, conoscenza e capitale umano. Le teorie e i modelli di crescita endogena di Paul Romer e Robert Lucas [Economic growth, knowledge and human capital. Theories and models of endoge," MPRA Paper 52435, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    25. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:2:y:2002:i:1:p:1-15 is not listed on IDEAS
    26. Delano S Villanueva & Roberto S Mariano & Diwa C Guinigundo & Abbas Mirakhor, 2023. "A Modified Neoclassical Growth Model with Endogenous Labor Participation," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Economic Adjustment and Growth Theory and Practice, chapter 3, pages 44-64, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    27. Achuo, Elvis & Nchofoung, Tii & Asongu, Simplice & Dinga, Gildas, 2021. "Unravelling the Mysteries of Underdevelopment in Africa," MPRA Paper 111556, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    28. Gene M. Grossman & Elhanan Helpman, 1994. "Endogenous Innovation in the Theory of Growth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 23-44, Winter.
    29. Durlauf, Steven N. & Quah, Danny T., 1999. "The new empirics of economic growth," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 235-308, Elsevier.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N00 - Economic History - - General - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-01065992. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Contact - Sciences Po Departement of Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.