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1930-1943: Agrarian Transformation and the Famine in Bengal

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  • Paul, Saumik

Abstract

Since the advent of British rule in 1765, the colony of Bengal, once hailed as the most fertile and prosperous region of India, witnessed numerous incidents of food shortages. Apart from the supply and demand side factors are typically associated with a food shortage at an escalated or disastrous level (famine), the role of persistent and long-term factors is also critical. This paper, both qualitatively and quantitatively, provides a deeper understanding of the process of agrarian transformation in Bengal. It argues that the 1943 Bengal famine could have been less likely had there been a buoyant agricultural credit market and a better patronage system with less exploitative farming practices. Quantitatively, I find that frequency of distress sale of occupancy holdings in the 1930s is positively associated with the famine intensity throughout many districts, and this relationship increases in the presence of sharecroppers' struggles.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul, Saumik, 2016. "1930-1943: Agrarian Transformation and the Famine in Bengal," CEI Working Paper Series 2016-11, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    • Handle: RePEc:hit:hitcei:2016-11
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    File URL: https://hermes-ir.lib.hit-u.ac.jp/hermes/ir/re/28239/wp2016-11.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Roy, Tirthankar, 2011. "Economic History of India, 1857-1947," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, edition 3, number 9780198074175.
    2. Martin Ravallion, 1997. "Famines and Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(3), pages 1205-1242, September.
    3. Amartya Sen, 1986. "Food, Economics and Entitlements," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-1986-001, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2002. "Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern World Income Distribution," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(4), pages 1231-1294.
    5. Abhijit Banerjee & Lakshmi Iyer, 2005. "History, Institutions, and Economic Performance: The Legacy of Colonial Land Tenure Systems in India," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(4), pages 1190-1213, September.
    6. Tim Dyson & Arup Maharatna, 1991. "Excess mortality during the Bengal famine: A re-evaluation," The Indian Economic & Social History Review, , vol. 28(3), pages 281-297, September.
    7. Omkar Goswami, 1990. "The Bengal Famine of 1943: re-examining the data," The Indian Economic & Social History Review, , vol. 27(4), pages 445-463, December.
    8. Tirthankar Roy, 2002. "Economic History and Modern India: Redefining the Link," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 109-130, Summer.
    9. Ai, Chunrong & Norton, Edward C., 2003. "Interaction terms in logit and probit models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 123-129, July.
    10. Bowbrick, Peter, 1986. "The causes of famine : A refutation of Professor Sen's theory," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 105-124, May.
    11. Amit Bhaduri, 1976. "The Evolution of Land Relations in Eastern India under British Rule," The Indian Economic & Social History Review, , vol. 13(1), pages 45-53, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kurosaki, Takashi & 黒崎, 卓 & Parinduri, Rasyad & Paul, Saumik, 2016. "Evaluating Efficiency Gains from Tenancy Reform Targeting a Heterogeneous Group of Sharecroppers: Evidence from India," CEI Working Paper Series 2016-10, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Famine; Land transfer; Bengal;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N - Economic History
    • O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth

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