Economic History Association The Development of Irrigation in Provence, 1700-1860: The French Revolution and Economic Growth Author(s): Jean-Laurent Rosenthal Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 50, No. 3 (Sep., 1990), pp. 615-638 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Economic History Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2122820 . Accessed: 01/03/2012 07:33 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Cambridge University Press and Economic History Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Economic History. http://www.jstor.org The Development of Irrigation in Provence, 1 700-1860: The French Revolution and Economic Growth JEAN-LAURENT ROSENTHAL Quantitative and qualitative evidence suggest that the returns to irrigationin France were similar during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Old Regime failed to develop irrigationbecause of fragmentedpolitical authority over rights of eminent domain. Since many groups could hold projectsup, transaction costs increased dramatically.Reforms enacted during the French Revolution reduced the costs of securingrights of eminent domain. Historians and economic historians hotly debate the issue of the French Revolution's contributionto economic growth.