Re: RE: Query on slavery

[Michael Perelman <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

She claims that the large slave operations were efficient.

Field, Elizabeth B. 1988. "The Relative Efficiency of Slavery
   Revisited: A Translog Production Function Approach." American
   Economic Review, 78: 3 (June): pp. 543-9.
Hoffer, R.A. and S.T. Folland. 1991. "The Relative Efficiency of
   Slave Agriculture: A Comment." Applied Economics, 23: 5 (May): pp.
   861-8.

I think that the problem is that it is difficult to generalize.  Some
masters were -- to some extent -- paternalistic; others, sadistic.
Either can conflict with efficiency.  But then, I suppose that factory
owners could do likewise.  Also, the enjoyment of power over others --
sexual and otherwise -- is a factor.  No doubt some slave owners were
more oriented toward profit.

Finally, I suspect that an interested scholar would find differences
between locations and between crops.
--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx