蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Land and Racial Wealth Inequality
蝌蚪网 Review
(pp. 371–76)
Abstract
Could racial wealth inequality have been reduced if freed slaves had been granted land following the Civil War? This paper exploits a plausibly exogenous variation in policies of the Cherokee Nation and southern United States to identify the impact of free land on the size of the racial wealth gap. Using data on land, livestock, and home ownership, I find evidence that former slaves who had access to free land were absolutely wealthier and experienced lower levels of racial wealth inequality in 1880 than former slaves who did not. Furthermore, their children continued to experience these advantages in 1900.Citation
Miller, Melinda C. 2011. "Land and Racial Wealth Inequality." 蝌蚪网 Review 101 (3): 371–76. DOI: 10.1257/aer.101.3.371JEL Classification
- D31 Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
- J15 Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination
- N31 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
- N41 Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913