Premium
A Syllogism for the Small Farm
Author(s) -
Firey Walter
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.1990.tb02281.x
Subject(s) - acquiescence , subsistence agriculture , redistribution (election) , economics , politics , redistribution of income and wealth , agriculture , political instability , argument (complex analysis) , development economics , political science , economic growth , geography , law , archaeology , unemployment , biochemistry , chemistry
A bstract . Access to the land for low‐income households has long been considered a contributing factor to political stability. The reasoning behind this hypothesis can be given the form of a deductive argument whose premises assert implications that link greater real income with greater well‐being for the poor ; greater well‐being with greater political acquiescence of the poor; greater real income of the poor with a greater downward redistribution of wealth ; and greater political acquiescence with greater governability of the poor. The kinds of productive activities which will satisfy these implications are those involved in subsistence farming. From the premises the conclusion follows that greater governability of the poor is a consequence of the greater downward redistribution of wealth that accompanies subsistence farming.