Agricultural Policy and Long-Run Development: Evidence from Mussolini's Battle for Grain

Mario Carillo

The Economic Journal, 2021, vol. 131, issue 634, 566-597

Abstract: This article explores the long-run effect of agricultural policies on industrialisation and economic development. I analyse the differential effect of the Battle for Grain, implemented by the Italian Fascist regime to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat, on the development path across areas of Italy. Employing cross-sectional variation in land suitability for advanced wheat production technologies, along with time variation in their diffusion, I find that the policy had unintended positive effects on industrialisation and economic prosperity, which have persisted until today. Furthermore, I find that the complementarity between human capital and agricultural technology was a critical mechanism.

Date: 2021
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Related works:
Working Paper: Agricultural policy and long-run development: evidence from Mussolini's Battle for Grain (2018)
Working Paper: Agricultural Policy and Long-Run Development: Evidence from Mussolini’s Battle for Grain (2018)
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