Agricultural policy and long-run development: evidence from Mussolini's Battle for Grain

Mario Carillo

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This paper explores the effect of agricultural policies on industrialization and economic development over the long-run. I analyze the differential effect of the \textit{Battle for Grain}, implemented by the Italian Fascist regime to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production, on the development path across areas of Italy. Employing time variation, along with cross-sectional variation in the suitability of land for the implementation of the advanced wheat production technologies, I find that the policy had unintended positive effects on industrialization and economic prosperity which persisted until the contemporary period. Furthermore, I find that the positive effect of the \textit{Battle for Grain} on human capital accumulation was instrumental in this process, suggesting that the complementarity between human capital and agricultural technology may be a critical mechanism through which agricultural productivity may enhance the development of non-agricultural sectors.

Keywords: Agricultural Policy; Agricultural Productivity; Industrialization; Human Capital; Long-run Dve (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F13 J24 N54 O13 O14 O25 O33 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-09-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-eff, nep-gro and nep-his
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Agricultural Policy and Long-Run Development: Evidence from Mussolini's Battle for Grain (2021)
Working Paper: Agricultural Policy and Long-Run Development: Evidence from Mussolini’s Battle for Grain (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:88941

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