The Wealth of Ottoman Individuals by Different Socio-Economic Groups, 1650-1918: A Descriptive Analysis in the Context of Institutional Change

Year 2022, Volume: 13 Issue: 33, 236 - 253, 20.02.2022

Bora Altay , Koray Göksal Hande Nur Kırmızıkuşak

https://doi.org/10.21076/vizyoner.959067

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The study offers a descriptive analysis of individual wealth in the Ottoman Empire, employing a new dataset from inheritance records of 36 different provinces located in Anatolia. The main purpose is to contribute to the discussion on the relationship between wealth inequality and changing institutional structures, spanning from 1650 to 1918. The limitations of data entail restrictions to construct a quantitative research, and hence, the study provides an implicit analysis on this relationship. A new dataset on individual wealth, however, allow to present a descriptive analysis in a long-term perspective. Establishing information on individual wealth by socio-economic groups, the study estimates wealth inequality according to Gini coefficients. This estimates also include a comparative analysis among different groups, including four quartiles starting from the wealthiest 25 percent. Our findings underlie the importance of the role of institutional change over the wealth inequality. We suggest the wealth inequality is higher under the periods of decentralized institutions, particularly during the pre-industrial period. This trend has become better with series of political, economic and institutional reforms towards centralization during the second half of the nineteenth century. 

Keywords

The Ottoman Empire, Institutional Change, Wealth, Wealth Distribution, Long-Term Perspective

Farklı Sosyo-Ekonomik Gruplara Göre Osmanlı Bireylerinin Zenginliği, 1650-1918: Kurumsal Değişim Bağlamında Betimsel Bir Analiz

Abstract

İmparatorluğu'ndaki bireysel servetlerin betimleyici bir analizini sunmaktadır. Temel amaç, 1650'den 1918'e kadar uzanan, servet eşitsizliği ve değişen kurumsal yapılar arasındaki ilişkiye ilişkin tartışmaya katkıda bulunmaktır. Verilerin sınırlılıkları, nicel bir araştırma yapmak için kısıtlamalar getirmektedir ve bu nedenle, bu çalışma bu ilişki hakkında örtük bir analiz sunmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, bireysel servet üzerine yeni bir veri seti, uzun vadeli bir perspektifte tanımlayıcı bir analiz sunmaya izin vermektedir. Sosyoekonomik gruplara göre bireysel servet hakkında bilgi veren bu çalışma, servet eşitsizliğini Gini katsayılarına göre tahmin etmektedir. Bu tahminler, en zengin yüzde 25'ten başlayarak diğer çeyreklik dilimler dahil olmak üzere farklı gruplar arasında karşılaştırmalı bir analiz de sunmaktadır. Bulgularımız, kurumsal değişimin servet eşitsizliği üzerindeki rolünün öneminin altını çizmektedir. Servet dağılımı özellikle ademi merkeziyetçi kurumların hakim olduğu dönemde daha eşitsizdir. Ancak bu eğilim 19. yüzyılda merkezi yapının güçlendirilmesi için yapılan iktisadi, politik ve kurumsal dönüşümlerle daha adil bir dağılıma yönelmiştir. 

Keywords

Osmanlı İmparatorluğu, Kurumsal Değişim, Servet, Servet Dağılımı, Uzun Dönemli Yaklaşım

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