This new time series on price and return indices for the Belgian railroad sector during the 19th century and comparison with the historical risk premium confirms the risk premium to be positive although not that high as was commonly understood.

We investigate monthly returns of Belgian stocks listed on the Brussels stock exchange in the period 1838–2010. Our dataset is based on official quotation lists of the stock exchange, and it takes into account all common stocks that were ever listed on the stock exchange during the period...

The limited availability of high quality and computer readable data seriously impedes research in history and finance. We introduce a new monthly return series for Belgian owned equity based on Brussels Stock Market data for the period 1832–1914 as an improvement to the popular Drappier index....

The globalisation of the world economy is one of the major concepts of our time and is likely to influence thinking and policy making well into the 21st century. Although officially welcomed as a major contribution to world welfare it is held by many to be responsible for low wages and mass...

1. Extractive institutions in the Congo : checks and balances in the longue duree / Andreas Exenberger and Simon Hartmann -- 2. Colonial extraction in the Indonesian archipelago : a long historical view / Thee Kian Wie -- 3. Varieties of exploitation in colonial settings : Dutch and Belgian...