Elite persistence and inequality in the Danish West Indies, 1760–1914

IF 2.6 1区 历史学 Q1 ECONOMICS
Stefania Galli , Dimitrios Theodoridis , Klas Rönnbäck
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The issue of how elites as a social group form, maintain their position, and influence the society they control is central to the debate on inequality. This paper studies one of the most extremely unequal societies ever recorded — the sugar-based economies in the West Indies — by focusing on the island of St. Croix in the Danish West Indies and examines the emergence and persistence of its economic elite. The study relies on a novel dataset that covers the entire population of the island over 154 years, allowing for a long-run analysis of elite persistence and the effects of significant economic, institutional, and social changes. Our study shows that elite persistence remained high in global comparison throughout the period of interest, despite several 'critical junctures'. These junctures only had a temporary effect. We contend that this result can be attributed to three mechanisms of persistence: inheritance, institutional co-optation and limited franchise. Finally, we find that although the Crucian elite maintained its relative standing, it came at the cost of severe impoverishment in absolute terms.
1760-1914 年丹麦西印度群岛的精英持续与不平等现象
精英作为一个社会群体是如何形成、维持其地位并影响其所控制的社会的,这个问题是关于不平等的辩论的核心。本文以丹麦西印度群岛的圣克罗伊岛为中心,研究了有史以来最不平等的社会之一--西印度群岛以蔗糖为基础的经济,并考察了该岛经济精英的出现和持续情况。这项研究依赖于一个新颖的数据集,该数据集涵盖了圣克罗伊岛 154 年来的全部人口,从而可以对精英的持续性以及重大经济、制度和社会变革的影响进行长期分析。我们的研究表明,在整个研究期间,尽管出现了几个 "关键时刻",但与全球相比,精英的持久性仍然很高。这些关键时刻只产生了暂时的影响。我们认为,这一结果可归因于三种持续机制:继承、机构增选和有限的特许权。最后,我们发现,尽管克鲁西亚精英阶层保持了其相对地位,但其代价却是绝对的严重贫困。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
2.50
自引率
8.70%
发文量
27
期刊介绍: Explorations in Economic History provides broad coverage of the application of economic analysis to historical episodes. The journal has a tradition of innovative applications of theory and quantitative techniques, and it explores all aspects of economic change, all historical periods, all geographical locations, and all political and social systems. The journal includes papers by economists, economic historians, demographers, geographers, and sociologists. Explorations in Economic History is the only journal where you will find "Essays in Exploration." This unique department alerts economic historians to the potential in a new area of research, surveying the recent literature and then identifying the most promising issues to pursue.
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