Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Long-Term Persistence of Extractive Institutions

From Ethnic Cleansing and the Long-Term Persistenceof Extractive Institutions: Evidence from the Expulsion of the Moriscos (via http://www.chrisblattman.blogspot.com/):
"The case of Valencia holds important insights into the long-term implications of exploitation for both the exploited and for those who hold power. The economic exploitation of Valencian Muslims for over 300 years suggests that those who benefit from this exploitation may be dooming their descendants to poverty. While the Muslims of Valencia suffered under exploitative institutions for hundreds of years, these exploitative arrangements persisted even after their expulsion. The remaining Christian population remained poorer and less developed over 150 years after the expulsion due to the persistence of these extractive arrangements."

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