Inequality in pre-industrial Luxembourg (1766-1842): comparing the effects of the end of feudalism in rural and urban areas Sonia Schifano Bocconi University, Italy Tiago Ferreira Flores Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Luxembourg Antoine Paccoud Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Luxembourg This is a section of La mobilità sociale nelle società preindustriali: tendenze, cause ed effetti (secc. XIII-XVIII) / Social mobility in pre-industrial societies: tendencies, causes and effects (13th-18th centuries)(DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0667-9) by Angela Orlandi Firenze University Press Florence 2025 https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0667-9.17

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This paper uses the land distribution derived from the Maria Theresa cadastre in Luxembourg from 1766 and a land registry of 1842 to compare wealth inequality in Luxembourg City and Dudelange, a rural municipality in the south of the country. The Gini coefficients for the two areas show a big difference in inequality. In 1766, Dudelange, with a Gini coefficient of 0.84, seems to be much more unequal than Luxembourg City that registers a Gini coefficient on land distribution of 0.53. The inequality analysis in 1842 shows a reduction in the inequality estimates mainly driven by the abolishment of the feudal taxes and a reduction in the inequality gap between Luxembourg City and Dudelange. When looking at social mobility, however, the results for the two places are quite similar.

 social mobility inequality Luxembourg pre-industrial wealth

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