Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: An Econometric Analysis of Cherokee Indian Agricultural Performance Before Removal

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation research conducts an comparative study of the agricultural productivity of Removal Period (1835-1838) Cherokee Indian farmers and white farmers who later cultivated the same land. At this time, the argument for removal revolved around the inefficient agricultural practices used by the Cherokee. Using the stochastic distance frontier approach, the technical efficiency, as well as other productivity measures, for each Cherokee and white household can be estimated. Yet, the goal for this research is not to justify an antiquated policy, but to examine the variation of efficiency across Cherokee farms as well as between these two groups. By isolating the differences between Cherokee and white societies, this study will strengthen our understanding of Indian/White relations at this particular juncture. The data collection and analysis will add greatly to the dearth of economic studies on Native Americans. Despite a vast literature on Cherokee acculturation and removal, this project is the first large-scale comparative study of the agricultural performance between these two groups.