Long-term Trends of Inequality and Living Standards in Ethiopia, 1935-2020

Prior to the period 1950s, there are limited studies on historical evolution of inequality in Africa that led the academic world to know little about the factors that affect the evolution of inequality in the region. Due to this scanty literature in the region, I believe that I provide a unique historical estimates to indicate the factors that affected the evolution of inequality in Ethiopia in particular and in Africa in general. The project specifically aims to address this research question: how socio-economic inequality evolved in Ethiopia over the long run? To address the research question, I consider census data as one of the main material sources to collect information on the occupational structure of the society. For the earlier period, I consider tax records as a main source material.

Supervisor: Klas Rönnbäck