GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: The national accounts of a slave-based society

Johan Fourie and Jan Luiten van Zanden

No 04/2012, Working Papers from Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics

Abstract: New estimates of GDP of the Dutch Cape Colony (1652-1795) suggest that the Cape was one of the most prosperous regions during the eighteenth century. This stands in sharp contrast to the perceived view that the Cape was an “economic and social backwater”, a slave economy with slow growth and little progress. Following a national accounts framework, we find that Cape settlers’ per capita income is similar to the most prosperous countries of the time – Holland and England. We trace the roots of this result, showing that it is partly explained by a highly skewed population structure and very low dependency ratio of slavery, and attempt to link the eighteenth century Cape Colony experience to twentieth century South African income levels.

Keywords: South Africa; Slave; Income; Growth; GDP Per Capita; Production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr and nep-his
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Journal Article: GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: The National Accounts of a Slave-Based Society (2013)
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