The Stolypin Reform and Agricultural Productivity in Late Imperial Russia

76 Pages Posted: 1 Dec 2013 Last revised: 16 Jan 2018

See all articles by Paul Castañeda Dower

Paul Castañeda Dower

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Andrei Markevich

University of Helsinki - Faculty of Social Sciences; New Economic School

Date Written: November 30, 2017

Abstract

We study the effect of changes in land tenure, launched by the 1906 Stolypin reform, on agricultural productivity in late Imperial Russia. The reform allowed peasants to obtain land titles and consolidate separated land strips into single allotments. Our estimations suggest that the net effect of the reform on land productivity was positive, mainly due to land consolidations. We argue and present evidence that land consolidations enabled peasants to make independent production decisions from the village commune and take advantage of readily accessible technological advancements. In contrast, the titling component of the reform decreased land productivity in the short-run, arguably because of transaction costs.

Keywords: land tenure, peasant commune, Stolypin reform, Russia

JEL Classification: N43, N53, O43, Q15

Suggested Citation

Castañeda Dower, Paul and Markevich, Andrei, The Stolypin Reform and Agricultural Productivity in Late Imperial Russia (November 30, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2361860 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2361860

Paul Castañeda Dower

University of Wisconsin-Madison ( email )

Madison
Madison, WI 53705

Andrei Markevich (Contact Author)

University of Helsinki - Faculty of Social Sciences ( email )

Helsinki
Finland

New Economic School ( email )

45 Skolkovskoe shosse
Moscow, 121353
Russia

HOME PAGE: http://https://andreimarkevich.com

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