I just got access to Google's Bard AI and the first question I asked was:
What were the short term economic effects of the ending of serfdom in Russia?
Bard answered:
The short-term economic effects of the ending of serfdom in Russia were mixed. On the one hand, there was a sharp increase in agricultural productivity, as serfs were now free to invest in their own land and labor. This led to a rise in grain production and a decrease in food prices. On the other hand, the land reform that accompanied the emancipation of the serfs led to a significant increase in rural inequality, as the former serfs were forced to pay high redemption payments to their former masters. This led to widespread poverty and social unrest in the countryside.
In the long term, the ending of serfdom had a positive impact on the Russian economy. It led to a more efficient agricultural sector, a more mobile labor force, and a more dynamic industrial sector. This helped to lay the foundations for Russia's economic growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Here are some specific examples of the short-term economic effects of the ending of serfdom in Russia:
Agricultural productivity increased by 16% in the years immediately following the emancipation.
Grain production increased by 25% between 1861 and 1870.
Food prices decreased by 20% between 1861 and 1870.
The number of rural industries increased by 50% between 1861 and 1870.
The number of urban workers increased by 70% between 1861 and 1870.
However, the ending of serfdom also had some negative short-term economic effects, such as:
The land reform that accompanied the emancipation led to a significant increase in rural inequality.
The redemption payments that the former serfs were forced to pay to their former masters led to widespread poverty and social unrest in the countryside.
The ending of serfdom led to a temporary decline in agricultural production, as the former serfs were initially reluctant to invest in their own land and labor.
Overall, the ending of serfdom had a positive impact on the Russian economy in the long term. It led to a more efficient agricultural sector, a more mobile labor force, and a more dynamic industrial sector. This helped to lay the foundations for Russia's economic growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Annoyingly the Google it button on the Bard page didn't seem to work for verifying the results. Googling the answer comes up with similar information though the stats don't always match, depending on the source.
Bings AI search comes up with similar information with references but I'm not always sure on the source quality:
The abolition of serfdom boosted Russia’s GDP by **17.7 percent** in the second half of the nineteenth century, with total value added increasing by **16 percent** in agriculture and **37 percent** in industry¹. The abolition of serfdom also gave the country’s economic development a big boost, particularly private industrial production and agriculture. By the start of the twentieth century, Russia had become the biggest grain producer in the world². Our results indicate that the abolition of serfdom caused a **10% increase** in grain productivity³ which is a large effect comparable to 40 years of aggregate development; grain productivity, on average, was increasing by 2.5% per decade in the 19th century Russia⁴.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 15/04/2023(1) American Economic Association. https://bing.com/search?q=short+term+economic+effects+of+ending+serfdom+in+Russia Accessed 15/04/2023.
(2) Ending Feudalism: The 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation of the .... https://carnegiemoscow.org/2011/02/18/ending-feudalism-150th-anniversary-of-emancipation-of-serfs-pub-42679 Accessed 15/04/2023.
(3) Serfdom and Russian economic development | CEPR. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/serfdom-and-russian-economic-development Accessed 15/04/2023.
(4) The impact of serfdom on economic development. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/03/the-impact-of-serfdom-on-economic-development/ Accessed 15/04/2023.
(5) The Economic Effects of the Abolition of Serfdom: Evidence from the .... https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20160144 Accessed 15/04/2023.
I'd love to know your thoughts and what was or would be your first game related research question?
Last edited by Marshal Bombast on Sat Apr 15, 2023 12:17 pm; edited 2 times in total