Geographic Crosswalks¶
Linking datasets across geographic coding schemes is one of the core challenges in South African historical data. Magisterial districts were renamed, split, merged, and recoded across census years and between different government agencies.
Key Crosswalk Files¶
All in shared_resources/data/:
| File | Links | Notes |
|---|---|---|
district_crosswalk_master.csv |
Pre-1949 names ↔ modern districts | 398 matches |
elections/crosswalk_electoral_magisterial_districts_1980_clean.csv |
Electoral ↔ magisterial districts | For linking election results to census data |
teba_panel/station_district_crosswalk_v4.csv |
TEBA stations ↔ magisterial districts | For linking recruiting data to census districts |
teba_panel/district_station_proximity.csv |
Distance-based station ↔ district | 56 districts with distance measures |
population_census/district_black_rural_share_1970.csv |
1970 population weights by district | From DataFirst 5% sample |
Open/Closed District Classification¶
A critical classification for the 1974 shock analysis:
| File | Description |
|---|---|
open_close_70_temp.xls (in raw_archives) |
User digitization from Crush (1993) Figure 1 |
Classifications:
black_whole— Fully open for Black labor recruitingblack_part— Partially opengrey— High potential closed districts (identified by NRC as candidates for opening)white— Closed (white farming areas)
Provenance: NRC File B1061 Pad 2 (1974 memo) → Crush (1993) Figure 1 → user digitization
The Eiselen Line¶
A separate but related geographic concept:
- Defined by Dr. W.M. Eiselen (1955) as the western boundary of the Coloured Labour Preference Policy area
- West of the line: farmers primarily employed Coloured workers
- East of the line: farmers primarily employed Black African workers (competing with mines)
- Relevant for understanding where the open/closed treatment has strongest effects
See Goldin (1984) "The Poverty of Coloured Labour Preference" for details.