In the early 20th century, the region now known as Indonesia – then the Dutch East Indies – was Europe’s largest colony after India. It was a major producer of tropical commodities, like rubber and sugar, which were drivers of the global economy.
I study the consequences of international trade during the colonial era on income distribution and well-being in developing countries. My research, examining varying levels of inequality in different Dutch East Indies regions during the early 20th century, shows how the global plantation and trade systems – in the context of colonial institutions – affected the livelihood of the people in colonised countries.
