The Development of Irrigation in Provence, 1700-1860: The French Revolution and Economic Growth

Abstract

Quantitative and qualitative evidence suggest that the returns to irrigation in France were similar during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Old Regime failed to develop irrigation because of fragmented political authority over rights of eminent domain. Since many groups could hold projects up, transaction costs increased dramatically. Reforms enacted during the French Revolution reduced the costs of securing rights of eminent domain. © 1990, The Economic History Association. All rights reserved.