According on Temettuat Books Commercialization Opportunities and Income Distribution Analysis of Hırsova District (1844-1845)

Abstract

ABSTRACT

 Temettuat books include information about real estate, income, livestock and taxes, providing the socio-economic status of the household on a micro scale. In this study, the possibilities of commercialization of the agricultural sector in the Ottoman Balkans were discussed in the light of the data in the temettuat books by the example of Hirsova district, a settlement in Rumeli. The question “was there an economic life in accordance with the classical Ottoman economic understanding in the town of Hirsova, or did the business lines and the created surplus values show the possibility of the town evolving into a capitalist economic structure in terms of commercialization?” was discussed. The incomes of the villagers engaged in agricultural and non-agricultural works in the district, and the distribution of these incomes on the scale of the district were calculated. In order to determine the differentiation in income distribution more clearly, the Lorenz curve was drawn and the Gini co-efficient was calculated, using the methods and instruments of economic theory. Within the framework of the data obtained, whether the agricultural sector has commercialization opportunities was briefly evaluated.

Keywords: Hirsova, Balkans, Temettuat, Lorenz Curve, Gini Co-efficient