The colonial Mita system mandated that indigenous communities supply one-seventh of their adult male population to labor in the Potosí silver and Huancavelica mercury mines. The severe labor and harsh weather conditions in these mines directly caused a high death rate among the forced workers.

Mita Labor Requirements and Resulting Mortality

Although the Mita system was abolished more than two centuries ago, its societal and economic effects are still perceptible today. This persistent legacy is comparable to the long-term consequences of other major systems of forced labor, such as the Atlantic slave trade in Africa and slavery in the United States.

Lasting Effects of the Mita and the Atlantic Slave Trade

Melissa Dell is an economist who researches the long-term effects of historical institutions on contemporary life. She conducted a notable study on the colonial Mita system to understand its lasting impact, addressing the methodological challenge of separating its effects from other potential causes of modern poverty in Bolivia and Peru.

Melissa Dell

The Mita was a system of forced labor employed by Spanish colonizers in Peru and Bolivia from 1573 to 1812 to work in mines. This system was an adaptation of a pre-colonial practice used by Inca rulers for public works projects like constructing roads and temples.

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Case 1 models a scenario of forced labor where the existing institutional framework enables the landowner, Bruno, to coerce Angela into working. In this situation, Bruno holds all the power, which is supported by the 'rules of the game'; he dictates Angela's work hours, claims all the grain she produces, and decides her share. This scenario reflects the broader concept of forced labor, which has a long history, with the Atlantic slave trade being a major historical example.

Case 1 - Angela's Situation under Coercion and Forced Labor

To cite the ebook, use The CORE Econ Team 2023 The Economy 2.0: Microeconomics Open access e-text https://core-econ.org/the-economy/.

To cite a unit, use The CORE Econ Team 2023 The Economy 2.0: Microeconomics Open access e-text https://core-econ.org/the-economy/ Unit [unit number] (url).

CORE Econ - The Economy 2.0: Microeconomics

The Atlantic slave trade, which occurred between the 16th and 19th centuries, stands as a major historical example of forced labor. It is estimated that this trade resulted in the forced transportation of at least 15 million people from Africa to the Americas.

The Atlantic Slave Trade

Walk Free is an organization whose website is cited as a resource for information regarding the scale and scope of forced labor in various countries.

Walk Free

Despite the global legal abolition of slavery, forced labor continues to be a contemporary issue. Modern forms of this practice often exploit vulnerable groups, such as migrant workers.

Modern Forced Labor

Despite the significant dangers and low probability of success, forced laborers still engage in acts of resistance. The risks were particularly high in societies where forced labor was legally sanctioned, such as the Roman Empire or the Thirteen Colonies in America, making resistance a potentially worse outcome than enduring oppressive work conditions. Nevertheless, historical records show that events like slave revolts and escapes did happen.

Resistance by Forced Laborers

The feasible frontier, which illustrates the trade-off between free time and grain output, is identical in the forced labor scenario (Case 1) and the baseline case where Angela is an independent farmer. This consistency occurs because the underlying production technology is the same, and Bruno does not perform any work in either situation, meaning the physical limits of production are unchanged.

Feasible Frontier in Case 1 vs. Baseline Case

This diagram illustrates the trade-off between Angela's free time (x-axis, 0-24 hours) and her grain production (y-axis, 0-70 bushels). It features a concave feasible frontier connecting coordinates (0, 64), A (16, 46), and (24, 0). Several specific allocation points are shown on the graph, including D (16, 15), E (13.5, 24), F (13.5, 8), and G (16, 0). The interpretation of these allocations involves understanding that Angela's work hours are 24 minus her free time, and for any point below the frontier like D, the vertical distance to the axis is her share, while the distance from the point up to the frontier (at point A) represents Bruno's share.

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