Working in the ‘White Man’s Grave’: Wages and Migration from Europe to the Gold Coast in the Eighteenth Century

• This article examines the economic incentives for Europeans to migrate to the socalled ‘white man’s grave’ of West Africa. Ignorance and coercion have been proposed as explanations for migration to high mortality areas. We use data on the Royal African Company and their European employees on the Gold Coast during the period 1707– 1740. We found that the employees received a premium above the wage they would have received in England. Economic reasons might therefore have swayed the decision to migrate. Nevertheless, the wage premium was low in relation to the very high risk of dying. The migrating men either placed a low value on their own lives, or did not understand the risks they were facing.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Ekonomisk historia (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Economic History (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Africa

Gold Coast

settlers

living standards

wage

value of a statistical life

early modern period

pre-colonial

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)