Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929
Merchant credit systems and household production have usually been examined historically as two distinct entities which either bore no relationship to one another or else operated in opposition. This paper proposes instead that there has existed a somewhat unequal symbiosis between these two economi...
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1989
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fterudit:oai:erudit.org:031001ar 2023-05-15T17:22:31+02:00 Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 Ommer, Rosemary E. 1989 http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/031001ar https://doi.org/10.7202/031001ar en eng The Canadian Historical Association/La Société historique du Canada Érudit Historical Papers vol. 24 no. 1 (1989) All rights reserved © The Canadian Historical Association/La Société historique du Canada, 1989 text 1989 fterudit https://doi.org/10.7202/031001ar 2013-03-29T13:15:19Z Merchant credit systems and household production have usually been examined historically as two distinct entities which either bore no relationship to one another or else operated in opposition. This paper proposes instead that there has existed a somewhat unequal symbiosis between these two economic systems, not only in the early of settlement when labour was scarce, but also under conditions of abundant labour. It further suggests that merchant credit can fruitfully be regarded as the forerunner of state welfare systems insofar as both have provided the start-up capital for informal economies which, in their turn, then operate as an essential safety net for people living in marginal economies. On a toujours étudié séparément le système du crédit accordé par les marchands et la production dans la colonie, les considérant comme deux réalités distinctes qui sont sans relations entre elles, voire même opposées l'une à l'autre.Le présent article soutient, au contraire, qu'il y a une certaine symbiose entre ces deux réalités économiques, non seulement en période de colonisation alors que la main d'oeuvre est rare, mais même lorsque celle-ci est abondante. Il soutient même qu'on a raison de considérer que le crédit consenti par les marchands est l'Etat providence avant la lettre, les deux fournissant le capital nécessaire à des économies naissantes, lesquelles assurent, à leur tour, la sécurité aux populations isolées. Text Newfoundland Érudit.org (Université Montréal) Historical Papers 24 1 167 189 |
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Merchant credit systems and household production have usually been examined historically as two distinct entities which either bore no relationship to one another or else operated in opposition. This paper proposes instead that there has existed a somewhat unequal symbiosis between these two economic systems, not only in the early of settlement when labour was scarce, but also under conditions of abundant labour. It further suggests that merchant credit can fruitfully be regarded as the forerunner of state welfare systems insofar as both have provided the start-up capital for informal economies which, in their turn, then operate as an essential safety net for people living in marginal economies. On a toujours étudié séparément le système du crédit accordé par les marchands et la production dans la colonie, les considérant comme deux réalités distinctes qui sont sans relations entre elles, voire même opposées l'une à l'autre.Le présent article soutient, au contraire, qu'il y a une certaine symbiose entre ces deux réalités économiques, non seulement en période de colonisation alors que la main d'oeuvre est rare, mais même lorsque celle-ci est abondante. Il soutient même qu'on a raison de considérer que le crédit consenti par les marchands est l'Etat providence avant la lettre, les deux fournissant le capital nécessaire à des économies naissantes, lesquelles assurent, à leur tour, la sécurité aux populations isolées. |
format |
Text |
author |
Ommer, Rosemary E. |
spellingShingle |
Ommer, Rosemary E. Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
author_facet |
Ommer, Rosemary E. |
author_sort |
Ommer, Rosemary E. |
title |
Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
title_short |
Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
title_full |
Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
title_fullStr |
Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Merchant Credit and the Informal Economy : Newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
title_sort |
merchant credit and the informal economy : newfoundland, 1919-1929 |
publisher |
The Canadian Historical Association/La Société historique du Canada |
publishDate |
1989 |
url |
http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/031001ar https://doi.org/10.7202/031001ar |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_relation |
Historical Papers vol. 24 no. 1 (1989) |
op_rights |
All rights reserved © The Canadian Historical Association/La Société historique du Canada, 1989 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7202/031001ar |
container_title |
Historical Papers |
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24 |
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1 |
container_start_page |
167 |
op_container_end_page |
189 |
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1766109235540656128 |