Globalization, frontier expansion and inequality in Chile during the Saltpeter Heyday (1880–1905)

Authors

  • Javier E. Rodríguez Weber

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1698-6989(11)70002-9

Keywords:

Income distributio, , Chile, First Globalization, Expansion of the frontier, 015, N96, F11, J61

Abstract

The literature on Latin American inequality during the First Globalization inspired by the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model suggests that inequality rose because of specialization in natural resource-intensive goods. However, this line of research has been criticized because of the simplifications and assumptions of the model. In this paper we argue that even in a neoclassical framework it must be revised in the light of changes in relative factor endowments, such as the expansion of the frontier —a common process in that period. Using a set of new estimates of income inequality in Chile between 1880 and 1905, we show that the expansion of the frontier opened up a process of social change and labor force migrations which improved the income distribution.

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How to Cite

Rodríguez Weber, J. E. (2019). Globalization, frontier expansion and inequality in Chile during the Saltpeter Heyday (1880–1905). Investigaciones De Historia Económica, 7(1), 21–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1698-6989(11)70002-9

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Section

RAMÓN CARANDE PRIZE