Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14616
Authors: Nina Boberg-Fazlic; Markus Lampe; Pablo Martinelli Lasheras; Paul Sharp
Abstract: There is a vast literature on the effects of land inequality and agrarian reforms, but little on the origins of this inequality. We exploit a new and unique parish-level database of land inequality in Denmark, from 1682 to 1895, during which period there was comprehensive land reform and enclosure. We demonstrate that inequality increased after land reform in areas with more productive land, measured using contemporary tax assessments. We instrument for land quality using glacial and postglacial sediment soil types. We propose a mechanism whereby agrarian reforms allowed areas with better soil quality to realize greater productivity gains. Malthusian mechanisms and internal migration then led to greater population increases in more fertile areas, leading to a larger share of smallholders and landless laborers. We present evidence for this mechanism in part from population density revealed by censuses. After the reforms, the geographical pattern of inequality remained strikingly constant, although population and inequality continued to grow throughout the nineteenth century.
Keywords: Denmark; Enclosures; Land Inequality
JEL Codes: O13; N53; Q15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| land reforms in Denmark between 1682 and 1895 (Q15) | increased land inequality (Q15) |
| agrarian reforms (P32) | productivity gains in fertile areas (O49) |
| productivity gains in fertile areas (O49) | population growth (J11) |
| population growth (J11) | increased land inequality (Q15) |
| land quality (Q24) | changes in inequality (I14) |