Social Structures and Income Distribution in Colonial sub-Saharan Africa. The Case of Bechuanaland Protectorate 1936-1964

Jutta Bolt (j.bolt@rug.nl) and Ellen Hillbom (ellen.hillbom@ekh.lu.se)
Additional contact information
Jutta Bolt: University of Groningen, Postal: Broerstraat 5, 9712 CP Groningen, Netherlands, http://www.rug.nl/staff/j.bolt/
Ellen Hillbom: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Postal: Department of Economic History, Lund University, Box 7083, S-220 07 Lund, Sweden, http://www.ekh.lu.se/personal/staff/ekh-eca

No 130, Lund Papers in Economic History from Lund University, Department of Economic History

Abstract: In this paper we estimate the level and inequality of income for Bechuanaland Protectorate by constructing four social tables between 1936 to 1964 using colonial archives and anthropological records. We present a working hypothesis that there is need to further analyze Botswana’s colonial era if we are to understand several aspects of contemporary economic structures. Our focus is on identifying the roots of post-independence high levels of inequality. We find that first of all that migrant labour to neighbouring South Africa earned well relative to domestic labour in the Protectorate, both in the formal and traditional sectors. Remittances their families back home and became an important strategy for the poorer segments of society to stay at or above subsistence. Second, the creation of a beef export sector in the 1930s brought with it new opportunities to access export incomes and starting in the 1940s this led to increasing income inequalities and a polarization in cattle holdings. Third, wages for government officials were forging ahead creating an increasing income divide between public and private formal employment. In conclusion we infer that Botswana’s contemporary institutional inequality has far reaching historical roots.

Keywords: Botswana; Colonial Africa; Income; Inequality; Social Tables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N37 O10 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2013-11-08
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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