working papers by Bas Van Leeuwen
Migration always played an important role in Dutch society. However, little quantitative evidence... more Migration always played an important role in Dutch society. However, little quantitative evidence on its effect on economic development is known for the period before the 20 th century even though some stories exist about their effect on the Golden Age. Applying a new dataset on migration and growth for the period 1510-1900 in a system of equations, we find that in the Golden Age, the 18 th century, and the 19 th century there was a direct positive effect of migration on productivity. However, when taking account of indirect effects via humanand physical capital, only during the Golden Age the net effect of migration on per capita GDP was positive. This seems to confirm those studies that claim that the Golden Age at least partially benefitted from immigration.
Central and Eastern Europe is a region with widely divergent development paths. Up to WWII, these... more Central and Eastern Europe is a region with widely divergent development paths. Up to WWII, these countries experienced comparable growth patterns. Yet, whereas Austria and West Germany remained part of the capitalist West and underwent periods of rapid growth, other countries, under state-socialist regimes, experienced on average far lower growth rates.
In this paper we estimate inequality in Indonesia between 1932 and 1999. There was an increase in... more In this paper we estimate inequality in Indonesia between 1932 and 1999. There was an increase in inequality at the start of this period but then a sharp decline from the 1960s. A shift from domestic to export agriculture over the period up to the Great Depression accounts for the increase in inequality. During the 1930s, as the price of export crops declined, the income of rich farmers suffered a blow. Yet, this was counterbalanced by increasing gap between expenditure in the urban and rural sectors, causing an over-all rise in inequality. As for the second half of the century, we find that the employment shift towards manufacturing and services, combined with an increase in labour productivity in agriculture, accounts for the decline in inequality. These inequality trends had an effect on poverty as well, but prior to the 1940s the negative impact of the rise in inequality was offset by an increase in per capita GDP. Between 1950 and 1980 a decline in inequality, combined with increased per capita GDP rapidly raised a large portion of the population above the poverty line.
Papers by Bas Van Leeuwen
BRILL eBooks, Oct 19, 2020
BRILL eBooks, Oct 19, 2020
BRILL eBooks, Oct 19, 2020
BRILL eBooks, Oct 19, 2020
Oxbow Books, Jun 30, 2021
Italian economic journal, Mar 21, 2023
General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public port... more General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the KNAW public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain. • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the KNAW public portal. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Asia and the global economy, 2022
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Jan 13, 2023
BRILL eBooks, Oct 19, 2020
In recent years, interest in the welfare levels of ancient economies has increased considerably, ... more In recent years, interest in the welfare levels of ancient economies has increased considerably, partly in a quest to find the origins of present-day income differences. A popular method for calculating income differences is the use of subsistence ratios that indicate whether the wage of an unskilled male labourer is sufficient to purchase enough products and services to maintain his family. In this paper, we present new estimates for the southeastern part of Han China and modify existing estimates for the eastern half of the Roman Empire (Egypt and Syria) and Babylonia to make them comparable. We find that the agricultural regions of Egypt and Babylonia experienced substantially lower subsistence ratios than Syria and southeastern Han China. We find that the main reason for the difference was that unskilled male workers belonged to the higher income brackets in southeastern Han China and Syria. This finding can be explained by the small group of free wage workers in these societies, combined with excess demand for this type of labour in the Eastern Roman Empire and southeastern Han China.
Australian Economic History Review, Apr 16, 2019
and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requi... more and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the KNAW public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain. • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the KNAW public portal. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2014
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Feb 28, 2022
Australian Economic History Review, Oct 3, 2021
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Feb 1, 2015
In recent decades, national income has become increasingly important as a measure of a nation's e... more In recent decades, national income has become increasingly important as a measure of a nation's economic health. In this study, we used a wide array of primary and secondary sources to arrive at values of the Chinese per capita gross domestic product (GDP) during the period of 1661-1933. We found a persistent decline in the per capita GDP between the 17 th and 19 th centuries, followed by a period of stagnation. This pattern, which shows up in many Asian countries, with the exception of Japan, provides a basis for improving our understanding of the patterns of global economic convergence and divergence.
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working papers by Bas Van Leeuwen
Papers by Bas Van Leeuwen