Gupta, Bishnupriya and Swamy, Anand V. (2013) Unfree Labour : did indenture reduce labour supply to tea plantations in Assam? Working Paper. Coventry, UK: Department of Economics, University of Warwick. CAGE Online Working Paper Series, Volume 2013 (Number 177).

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Abstract

Migration to tea plantations in Assam in the 19th century used indentured contracts. These
contracts differed by conditions of harshness. Migration under the Special Act gained notoriety
by giving tea planter the right of private arrest. Using a new set of migration by types of contract,
the paper assesses if harsh terms of indenture discouraged labour flows. We find that regions
using the harsh contract saw lower response to rise in the price of tea. Disaggregating by types of
recruiter, we find that the response to market recruitment was high in all regions, but response to
recruitment using community networks is statistically insignificant, suggesting that informational
asymmetries may be an explanation for continuing migration despite concerns raised by the
nationalist movement, social reformers and policy makers.

Item Type:	Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Indentured servants -- Assam, Slave labor -- Assam, Forced labor -- Assam, Tea plantations -- Assam
Series Name:	CAGE Online Working Paper Series
Publisher:	Department of Economics, University of Warwick
Place of Publication:	Coventry, UK
Official Date:	September 2013
Volume:	Volume 2013
Number:	Number 177
Number of Pages:	44
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published

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