AbstractThe public expenditure shifts that took place following the discovery of diamonds and gold during the second half of the nineteenth century had far-reaching consequences for southern Africa’s development. Using new data for public expenditure and foreign debt in the Cape Colony and evidence from Cape parliamentary budget debates, we trace and explain the growth of the publicsector. We find that the coincidence of mineral discovery in 1867 and the granting of responsible government status rapidly accelerated the growth of the public sector. Owing to strong mining interests, railways accounted for more than 70% of the public works expenditure from the 1880s onwards. Spending on human capital and welfare enhancement remained limited. Both the quantitative and qualitative evidence suggests that the mining elites managed to build coalitions that swayed public expenditure decisions towards self-serving ends.JEL Classification: H5, H54, H63, N17, F54Keywords: (Less)

中文翻译：

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英国开普敦殖民地的公共部门增长：来自1830-1910年支出和外债新数据的证据

摘要在19世纪下半叶发现钻石和黄金之后发生的公共支出转移，对南部非洲的发展产生了深远的影响。利用开普殖民地的公共支出和外债的新数据以及开普敦议会预算辩论的证据，我们追踪并解释了公共部门的增长。我们发现，1867年矿物发现的巧合与授予负责任的政府身分迅速加快了公共部门的发展。由于强烈的采矿兴趣，从1880年代起，铁路占公共工程支出的70％以上。人力资本和福利增加方面的支出仍然有限。