Labour and Living Standards in Pre-Colonial West Africa

Klas Rönnbäck is an Associate Professor of Economic History at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

• 1. Introduction: theory and method 2. The Gold Coast in African economic history 3. Sources and source criticism 4. Work ethic and the division of labour 5. Work and wages at the Cape Coast Castle 6. Domestic markets for goods 7. Housing and material wealth 8. Living standards in a comparative perspective 9. Concluding discussion 10. References