When the Levee Breaks: Black Migration and Economic Development in the American South

No 18296, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In the American South, post-bellum economic stagnation has been partially attributed to white landowners' access to low-wage black labor; indeed, Southern economic convergence from 1940 to 1970 was associated with substantial black out-migration. This paper examines the impact of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 on agricultural development. Flooded counties experienced an immediate and persistent out-migration of black population. Over time, landowners in flooded counties dramatically mechanized and modernized agricultural production relative to landowners in nearby similar non-flooded counties. Landowners resisted black out-migration, however, benefiting from the status quo system of labor-intensive agricultural production.

JEL-codes: N32 N52 O10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mig
Note: DAE EFG
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Published as Richard Hornbeck & Suresh Naidu, 2014. "When the Levee Breaks: Black Migration and Economic Development in the American South," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(3), pages 963-90, March.

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