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The wealth of the Swedish peasant farmer class 1750–1900 : Composition and distribution

Bengtsson, Erik LU and Svensson, Patrick LU (2018) In Lund Papers in Economic History. General Issues
Abstract
Using about 1,730 probate inventories, this paper studies the wealth of peasant farmers in Sweden for the years 1750, 1800, 1850 and 1900. The Gini coefficient for the farmers’ wealth grew from 0.46 in 1750 to 0.73 in 1900. Average wealth grew rapidly, tripling over the nineteenth century. Looking in greater depth at four local areas (Kullings, Sjuhundra, Lagunda, and Bara hundreds), we show that over the period the diversity of farmers’ wealth grew, as did their financial sophistication; borrowing and lending patterns became more complex and the use of banks and other institutions grew while personal financial transactions became rarer. Farmers who lived close to the major grain markets in Stockholm and the mining district Bergslagen were... (More)
Using about 1,730 probate inventories, this paper studies the wealth of peasant farmers in Sweden for the years 1750, 1800, 1850 and 1900. The Gini coefficient for the farmers’ wealth grew from 0.46 in 1750 to 0.73 in 1900. Average wealth grew rapidly, tripling over the nineteenth century. Looking in greater depth at four local areas (Kullings, Sjuhundra, Lagunda, and Bara hundreds), we show that over the period the diversity of farmers’ wealth grew, as did their financial sophistication; borrowing and lending patterns became more complex and the use of banks and other institutions grew while personal financial transactions became rarer. Farmers who lived close to the major grain markets in Stockholm and the mining district Bergslagen were wealthier than others, as were farmers on fertile plains and, in 1900, those living in coastal areas. Increased market access by 1900 – in terms of cities and foreign demand – meant that farmers well-placed in terms of geography and infrastructure benefited much more than farmers on what became the periphery, as regional inequality within the farmer class increased. Over the nineteenth century land prices increased much more in some areas than in others, but in the country as a whole they rose steeply. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
keywords
inequality, wealth, Sweden, peasant farmers, rural society, living standards, probate inventories, N00, N33, N53, Q1
in
Lund Papers in Economic History. General Issues
issue
177
pages
29 pages
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aedd6aff-a69e-4a7d-89df-03e93d78d9a1
date added to LUP
2018-09-04 14:54:11
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:41:25
@misc{aedd6aff-a69e-4a7d-89df-03e93d78d9a1,
  abstract     = {{Using about 1,730 probate inventories, this paper studies the wealth of peasant farmers in Sweden for the years 1750, 1800, 1850 and 1900. The Gini coefficient for the farmers’ wealth grew from 0.46 in 1750 to 0.73 in 1900. Average wealth grew rapidly, tripling over the nineteenth century. Looking in greater depth at four local areas (Kullings, Sjuhundra, Lagunda, and Bara hundreds), we show that over the period the diversity of farmers’ wealth grew, as did their financial sophistication; borrowing and lending patterns became more complex and the use of banks and other institutions grew while personal financial transactions became rarer. Farmers who lived close to the major grain markets in Stockholm and the mining district Bergslagen were wealthier than others, as were farmers on fertile plains and, in 1900, those living in coastal areas. Increased market access by 1900 – in terms of cities and foreign demand – meant that farmers well-placed in terms of geography and infrastructure benefited much more than farmers on what became the periphery, as regional inequality within the farmer class increased. Over the nineteenth century land prices increased much more in some areas than in others, but in the country as a whole they rose steeply.}},
  author       = {{Bengtsson, Erik and Svensson, Patrick}},
  keywords     = {{inequality; wealth; Sweden; peasant farmers; rural society; living standards; probate inventories; N00; N33; N53; Q1}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{177}},
  series       = {{Lund Papers in Economic History. General Issues}},
  title        = {{The wealth of the Swedish peasant farmer class 1750–1900 : Composition and distribution}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/50588886/LUP_177.pdf}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}