The Economic Effects of the Abolition of Serfdom: Evidence from the Russian Empire
研究了1861年俄罗斯废除农奴制对农业生产力、工业产出和农民营养的积极影响，发现废除农奴制后，农奴占多数的省份实现了追赶，但土地改革中的公社土地制度削弱了生产力增长。
We document substantial increases in agricultural productivity, industrial output, and peasants' nutrition in Imperial Russia as a result of the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Before the emancipation, provinces where serfs constituted the majority of agricultural laborers lagged behind provinces that primarily relied on free labor. The emancipation led to a significant but partial catch up. Better incentives of peasants resulting from the cessation of ratchet effect were a likely mechanism behind a relatively fast positive effect of reform on agricultural productivity. The land reform, which instituted communal land tenure after the emancipation, diminished growth in productivity in repartition communes.