The U.S.A.'s Land Data Legacy from the 19th Century: A Message from the Henry George-Francis A. Walker Controversy over Farm Land Distribution |
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| Authors: | Gene Wunderlich |
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| Institution: | Gene Wunderlich, Ph.D., is senior economist, Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 500 12th Street, S.W., Room 420, Washington, D.C. 20250 |
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| Abstract: | A bstract . Today's perception of land problems stems in part from agriculturally-oriented data developed in the late 19th Century and continued in present day series. Henry George criticized the agricultural statistics of his time but he was as much a captive of the data as his antagonist, Francis A. Walker. The historical identity of farm with farm operator in agricultural statistics is a basis for current concerns about the structure of agriculture. Landownership issues now transcend agriculture. The distribution of wealth, control of use, incidence of taxes and subsidies require land data not tied to a particular firm, industry or program. |
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