The Distribution of Land in Luxembourg (1766-1872): Family-Level Wealth Persistence in the Midst of Institutional Change

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bocconi University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050724000421
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 1209-1239
• 关键词: economic-inequality; social-mobility; feudalism; florence

摘要

The paper analyzes family-level wealth inequality and social mobility in Dudelange (Luxembourg) over five generations between 1766 and 1872, a period that saw the end of feudal social relations. While the integration of Luxembourg into the French revolutionary regime produced a reduction in the Gini coefficient for the ownership of land, the social mobility analysis reveals a relative stability of family positions within the land-wealth distribution throughout the period. This shows that family-level transmission mechanisms limit social mobility and strongly advantage those with ancestors owning property wealth, even when there are significant changes in the organization of property relations.