Trade, Institutions and Ethnic Tolerance: Evidence from South Asia
I provide evidence that the degree to which medieval Hindus and Muslims could provide complementary, non-replicable services and a mechanism to share the gains from exchange has resulted in a sustained legacy of ethnic tolerance in South Asian towns. Due to Muslim-specific advantages in Indian Ocean...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Book |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[S.l.]
Cambridge Univ. Press
[2013]
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| In: |
American political science review
Year: 2013 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | I provide evidence that the degree to which medieval Hindus and Muslims could provide complementary, non-replicable services and a mechanism to share the gains from exchange has resulted in a sustained legacy of ethnic tolerance in South Asian towns. Due to Muslim-specific advantages in Indian Ocean shipping, inter-ethnic complementarities were strongest in medieval trading ports, leading to the development of institutional mechanisms that further supported inter-ethnic exchange. Using novel town-level data spanning South Asia's medieval and colonial history, I find that medieval ports, despite being more ethnically mixed, were five times less prone to Hindu-Muslim riots between 1850-1950, two centuries after Europeans disrupted Muslim overseas trade dominance, and remained half as prone between 1950-1995. Household-level evidence suggests that these differences reflect local institutions that emerged to support inter-ethnic medieval trade, continue to influence modern occupational choices and organizations, and substitute for State political incentives in supporting inter-ethnic trust |
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| Item Description: | Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments May 6, 2013 erstellt |
| ISSN: | 1537-5943 |
| Access: | Open Access |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American political science review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2155918 |