Do historical institutions have a persistent impact on economic performance? We analyze the colonial institutions set … up by the British to collect land revenue in India, and show that differences in historical property rights institutions … are not driven by omitted variables or endogeneity of the historical institutions, and argue that they probably arise …

We analyze the colonial land revenue institutions set up by the British in India, and show that differences in … historical property rights institutions lead to sustained differences in economic outcomes. Areas in which proprietary rights in … arise because differences in historical institutions lead to very different policy choices …