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Displacement and development: Long term impacts of population transfer in India

Author

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  • Bharadwaj, Prashant
  • Ali Mirza, Rinchan
Abstract
The partition of British India in 1947 resulted in one of the largest and most rapid migrations and population transfers of the 20th century. Using refugee presence by 1951 as a measure for the intensity of the impact of the population transfer, and district level data on agricultural output between 1911 and 2009 from India, we find using difference in differences and event study approaches that areas that received more refugees have higher average yields, are more likely to take up high yielding varieties of seeds, and are more likely to use agricultural technologies. The increase in yields and use of agricultural technology coincide with the timing of the Green Revolution in India. Using pre-partition data, we show that refugee placement is uncorrelated with soil and water table characteristics, agricultural infrastructure, and agricultural yields prior to 1947; hence, the effects are not explained by selective movement into districts with a higher potential for agricultural development. We highlight refugee literacy and land reforms in areas with refugees as two of the many potential mechanisms that could be driving these effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Bharadwaj, Prashant & Ali Mirza, Rinchan, 2019. "Displacement and development: Long term impacts of population transfer in India," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:exehis:v:73:y:2019:i:c:5
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eeh.2019.05.001
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    Cited by:

    1. Lu, Frances & Siddiqui, Sameem & Bharadwaj, Prashant, 2021. "Marriage outcomes of displaced women," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    2. Ayesh, Abubakr, 2024. "Mass involuntary migration and educational attainment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    3. Sascha O. Becker, 2022. "Forced displacement in history: Some recent research," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 2-25, March.
    4. Abraham, Samira S. & Lanzara, Gianandrea & Lazzaroni, Sara & Masella, Paolo & Squicciarini, Mara P., 2024. "Spatial and historical drivers of fake news diffusion: Evidence from anti-Muslim discrimination in India," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    5. Palsson, Craig, 2023. "The forces of path dependence: Haiti's refugee camps, 1937–2009," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Samira S. Abraham & Gianandrea Lanzara & Sara Lazzaroni & Paolo Masella & Mara P. Squicciarini, 2023. "The Spatial Drivers of Discrimination: Evidence From Anti-Muslim Fake News in India," Working Papers wp1180, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    7. Wang Sonne,Soazic Elise & Verme,Paolo, 2019. "Intergenerational Impact of Population Shocks on Children's Health : Evidence from the 1993-2001 Refugee Crisis in Tanzania," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9075, The World Bank.
    8. Maqsood Aslam & Etienne Farvaque & Muhammad Azmat Hayat, 2022. "One partition, many divisions? Ethnicities and education in Pakistan," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 16(2), pages 405-428, May.
    9. Cemal Eren Arbatlı & Gunes Gokmen, 2023. "Human capital transfers and sub-national development: Armenian and Greek legacy in post-expulsion Turkey," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 1-43, March.
    10. Viet Nguyen & Susan Wolcott, 2020. "Anticipating independence, no premonition of partition. The lessons of bank branch expansion on the Indian subcontinent, 1939 to 1946," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(S1), pages 147-169, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Partition; Population Exchange; Agriculture;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
    • N55 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Asia including Middle East

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