The boll weevil plague and its effect on the southern agricultural sector, 1889–1929

Philipp Ager; Markus Brueckner; Benedikt Herz

doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2016.07.005

The boll weevil plague and its effect on the southern agricultural sector, 1889–1929

Philipp Ager^*, Markus Brueckner, Benedikt Herz

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the early 1890s, cotton fields in the American South were ravaged by the boll weevil. Using a model that controls for differences in the intensity of cotton production at the county level, we show how the boll weevil significantly changed southern agricultural labor arrangements and labor market outcomes. The boll weevil significantly reduced the number of tenant farms, decreased farm wages, and female labor force participation, particularly in counties with a higher intensity of cotton production.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	94-105
Number of pages	12
Journal	Explorations in Economic History
Volume	65
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eeh.2016.07.005
Publication status	Published - Jul 2017

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abstract = "In the early 1890s, cotton fields in the American South were ravaged by the boll weevil. Using a model that controls for differences in the intensity of cotton production at the county level, we show how the boll weevil significantly changed southern agricultural labor arrangements and labor market outcomes. The boll weevil significantly reduced the number of tenant farms, decreased farm wages, and female labor force participation, particularly in counties with a higher intensity of cotton production.",

keywords = "Agriculture, American South, Boll weevil, Labor force participation, Tenancy",

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KW - American South

KW - Boll weevil

KW - Labor force participation

KW - Tenancy

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The boll weevil plague and its effect on the southern agricultural sector, 1889–1929

Abstract

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