The Economic Effects of the Abolition of Serfdom: Evidence from the Russian Empire
American Economic Review
vol. 108,
no. 4-5, April 2018
(pp. 1074-1117)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
We document substantial increases in agricultural productivity, industrial output, and peasants' nutrition in Imperial Russia as a result of the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Before the emancipation, provinces where serfs constituted the majority of agricultural laborers lagged behind provinces that primarily relied on free labor. The emancipation led to a significant but partial catch up. Better incentives of peasants resulting from the cessation of ratchet effect were a likely mechanism behind a relatively fast positive effect of reform on agricultural productivity. The land reform, which instituted communal land tenure after the emancipation, diminished growth in productivity in repartition communes.Citation
Markevich, Andrei, and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya. 2018. "The Economic Effects of the Abolition of Serfdom: Evidence from the Russian Empire." American Economic Review, 108 (4-5): 1074-1117. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20160144Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J47 Coercive Labor Markets
- N13 Economic History: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations: Europe: Pre-1913
- N33 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: Europe: Pre-1913
- N43 Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: Europe: Pre-1913
- N53 Economic History: Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries: Europe: Pre-1913
- Q11 Agriculture: Aggregate Supply and Demand Analysis; Prices