The so-called «First Modern Economy» of the Dutch Republic was largely stagnant between the 1650s and 1770s, apart from the industry that processed colonial raw materials into goods fit for market. This traffieken industry (trafficq) quadrupled its share of the Dutch early modern economy. At least in part, this was due to protectionist policies that made trafficq the «pampered child of trade policy». While most industries and manufacturers could offset some risks through guild memberships, the colonial processing industry operated entirely outside the purview and protection of the guilds. At the same time, colonial processing industry relied on merchants and ships for both its raw materials and connections to markets in the European hinterland. It is therefore all the more surprising that this industry succeeded in influencing and dominating Dutch trade policy.
Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands - ORCID: 0000-0002-4181-4217
Chapter Title
Limiting risks in the Dutch processing industry, 1600-1800
Authors
Joris van den Tol
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0963-2.10
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Gestione del rischio, insolvenza e bancarotta nel mondo premoderno (secc. XIII-XVIII) / Risk management, insolvency, and bankruptcy in the pre-modern world (13th-18th centuries)
Editors
Angela Orlandi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
568
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0963-2
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0962-5
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0963-2
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0964-9
Series Title
Datini Studies in Economic History
Series ISSN
2975-1241
Series E-ISSN
2975-1195