Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Rural Capitalists and Development in Colonial Africa: A Comparative Analysis

Aboagye, Prince Young LU ; Hillbom, Ellen LU orcid and Klocke, Sascha LU (2026) In Journal of Agrarian Change p.1-21
Abstract
This paper explores the emergence and role of rural capitalists in colonial Sub-Saharan Africa by comparing three peasant-based economies: Bechuanaland, the Gold Coast and Tanganyika. Using social tables, we estimate the population and income shares of better earning agricultural producers and assess their impact on rural inequality and development. We find that rural capitalists in each colony adapted their economic strategies to local ecological, economic and institutional contexts, leading to varied outcomes in terms of economic development and income differentiation. In Bechuanaland, capital-intensive cattle production fuelled exclusionary growth and deepening polarization. In the Gold Coast, early inclusive gains from cocoa... (More)
This paper explores the emergence and role of rural capitalists in colonial Sub-Saharan Africa by comparing three peasant-based economies: Bechuanaland, the Gold Coast and Tanganyika. Using social tables, we estimate the population and income shares of better earning agricultural producers and assess their impact on rural inequality and development. We find that rural capitalists in each colony adapted their economic strategies to local ecological, economic and institutional contexts, leading to varied outcomes in terms of economic development and income differentiation. In Bechuanaland, capital-intensive cattle production fuelled exclusionary growth and deepening polarization. In the Gold Coast, early inclusive gains from cocoa cultivation gave way to rising inequality. In Tanganyika, smallholder expansion in coffee production yielded more broadly shared benefits. By shifting attention from aggregate commercialization to the distributional dynamics among farmers, the paper shows how different forms of accumulation shape rural development outcomes and the limits of market-led transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
agrarian differentiation, colonial Africa, commercialization, rural capitalists, rural development
in
Journal of Agrarian Change
pages
1 - 21
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105032758034
ISSN
1471-0366
DOI
10.1111/joac.70076
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
16a20c0c-ef59-44d8-9403-5525c13f5fd9
date added to LUP
2026-03-13 15:02:43
date last changed
2026-04-28 14:21:09
@article{16a20c0c-ef59-44d8-9403-5525c13f5fd9,
  abstract     = {{This paper explores the emergence and role of rural capitalists in colonial Sub-Saharan Africa by comparing three peasant-based economies: Bechuanaland, the Gold Coast and Tanganyika. Using social tables, we estimate the population and income shares of better earning agricultural producers and assess their impact on rural inequality and development. We find that rural capitalists in each colony adapted their economic strategies to local ecological, economic and institutional contexts, leading to varied outcomes in terms of economic development and income differentiation. In Bechuanaland, capital-intensive cattle production fuelled exclusionary growth and deepening polarization. In the Gold Coast, early inclusive gains from cocoa cultivation gave way to rising inequality. In Tanganyika, smallholder expansion in coffee production yielded more broadly shared benefits. By shifting attention from aggregate commercialization to the distributional dynamics among farmers, the paper shows how different forms of accumulation shape rural development outcomes and the limits of market-led transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa.}},
  author       = {{Aboagye, Prince Young and Hillbom, Ellen and Klocke, Sascha}},
  issn         = {{1471-0366}},
  keywords     = {{agrarian differentiation; colonial Africa; commercialization; rural capitalists; rural development}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1--21}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Agrarian Change}},
  title        = {{Rural Capitalists and Development in Colonial Africa: A Comparative Analysis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joac.70076}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/joac.70076}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}