This dataset supports an investigation into the demographic effects of forced labor under the Cultivation System in nineteenth-century Java. It is used for panel analyses linking labor demands to mortality rates, with an instrumental variable approach using international market prices for coffee and sugar. The analysis suggests the system's abolition prevented a 10-30% increase in average overall mortality by the late 1870s.
Use Cases
- Conduct panel analyses to examine the association between labor demands and mortality rates in Java.
- Apply an instrumental variable approach using international market prices for coffee and sugar to predict labor demands and address endogeneity.
- Estimate counterfactual mortality scenarios, such as the potential 10-30% higher mortality without the abolition of the Cultivation System.
- Analyze the demographic impact of colonial extractive regimes by linking mortality data to agricultural production variables like coffee and sugar.
Strengths
- Focuses on a specific historical period and policy regime, the Cultivation System from 1834-1879.
- Employs an instrumental variable methodology using international commodity prices to strengthen causal inference.
- Addresses a significant historical question regarding the demographic consequences of colonial forced labor.
Limitations
- Specific data structure, column details, and sample size are unknown, limiting assessment of analytical scope.
- The archival nature may imply data gaps, inconsistencies, or challenges in modern data integration.
- Geographic scope is limited to Java, restricting generalizability to other colonial contexts.
Provenance
- Source
- ICPSR Harvested Dataverse
- Collection Method
- Archival data compilation and analysis for historical research.
- Time Range
- 1834-1879
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Java