PhD defence Junhao Cao: Property Rights and Agricultural Growth in Northwestern Europe

On Wednesday 25 February, Junhao Cao will defend his dissertation ‘Property Rights and Agricultural Growth in Northwestern Europe, 1300-1800’. In this thesis, Cao explains the agricultural growth in the Low Countries and England between the fourteenth and nineteenth century. 

Regional case studies

Cao selected five regions in Northwest Europe for his research: Holland, inland Flanders, coastal Flanders, Norfolk, and the South Midlands. These regions were known for their progress in agricultural growth.

Cao measures the agricultural growth in these five regions in terms of labour productivity: how much monetary value per labour is produced in a year. His comparison reveals that growth varied within the regions. Each area made progress in different periods and in different ways.

The impact of land property rights

It is generally assumed that private and secure land property rights stimulated agricultural growth. Cao writes that the development of these rights did indeed contribute to growth. However, growth varied from region to region and in some cases even led to stagnation.

According to Cao, the impact of property rights on agricultural growth differed in the regions as a result of various intermediate mechanisms, as he elaborates in his thesis. In short: the development of property rights led to a redistribution of land among social groups and varying patterns in farm size and land management.