"Rubber will not keep in this country": Failed development in Benin, 1897-1921

James Fenske

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Nigeria's Benin region was a major rubber producer in 1960. In 1921, however, the government abandoned the industry as a failure. I explain why rubber did not take hold before 1921. British conquest was motivated in part by the region's wild rubber resources. The government was unable to protect Benin's rubber forests from over-exploitation. Expatriate firms were reticent to invest in plantations, and private African plantations remained small. The colonial government promoted the development of ``communal'' plantations, but these suffered from labor scarcity, a weak state, limited information, and global competition.

Keywords: Nigeria; Benin; rubber; development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N57 O13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-06-21
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr and nep-his
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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/30328/2/MPRA_paper_30328.pdf revised version (application/pdf)
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/31953/2/MPRA_paper_31953.pdf revised version (application/pdf)
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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/39010/1/MPRA_paper_39010.pdf revised version (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: “Rubber will not keep in this country”: Failed development in Benin, 1897–1921 (2013)
Working Paper: "Rubber will not keep in this country": Failed Development in Benin, 1897-1921 (2012)
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