Predation, Seigneurial Tenure and Development in French Colonial America

27 Pages Posted: 12 Feb 2018

See all articles by Vincent Geloso

Vincent Geloso

George Mason University - Department of Economics

Date Written: February 10, 2018

Abstract

This paper argues that significant transfers from peasants to landlords through private taxes and duties under seigneurial law in the French colonies in North America in the eighteenth century have been underestimated. They represented a burden equal to 5.19% to 6.89% of income. This high taxation burden – which was not converted into public goods – created a supply-side impediment to economic growth.

Keywords: Seigneurial tenure, divergence, colonial origins, predatory state, Canada, economic history

JEL Classification: K0, N21, O17

Suggested Citation

Geloso, Vincent, Predation, Seigneurial Tenure and Development in French Colonial America (February 10, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3121783 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3121783

Vincent Geloso (Contact Author)

George Mason University - Department of Economics ( email )

4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States

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