India and the Great Divergence: Assessing the Efficiency of Grain Markets in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century India

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic History
Year: 2008
Volume: 68
Issue: 2
Pages: 393-437

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

By analyzing a newly compiled data base of grain prices, this article finds that prior to the nineteenth century the grain trade in India was essentially local, while more distant markets remained fragmented. It was only in the second half of the nineteenth century that these premodern structures were transformed, and a national grain market had emerged. In the Great Divergence debate, the California School's claim that early modern “Asia” reached a similar stage of economic development as early modern Europe is therefore rejected for India.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jechis:v:68:y:2008:i:02:p:393-437_00
Journal Field
Economic History
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29