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Did Colonization Matter for Growth? An Empirical Exploration into the Historical Causes of Africa's Underdevelopment

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Author Info
Graziella Bertocchi
Fabio Canova ()

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Abstract

We investigate the impact of 20th--century European colonization on growth in Africa. We find that in the 1960--88 period growth has been faster for dependencies than for colonies; for British and French colonies than for Portuguese, Belgian and Italian ones; and for countries with less economic penetration during the colonial period. On average, African growth accelerates after decolonization. Proxies for colonial heritage add explanatory power to growth regressions and make indicators for human capital, political and ethnic instability lose significance. Colonial variables capture the same effects of a sub--Saharan dummy and reduce its significance when jointly included in a cross sectional regression with 98 countries.

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Paper provided by Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra in its series Economics Working Papers with number 202.

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Date of creation: Dec 1996
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Handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:202

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Related research
Keywords: Colonization; growth; Africa;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E00 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - General
O40 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
Q32 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development
N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative

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  1. Kalemli-Ozcan, Sebnem & Reshef, Ariell & Sorensen, Bent E & Yosha, Oved, 2006. "Why Does Capital Flow to Rich States?," CEPR Discussion Papers 5635, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Oded Galor & Quamrul Ashraf, 2008. "Human Genetic Diversity and Comparative Economic Development," Working Papers 2008-3, Brown University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2005. "Los orígenes coloniales del desarrollo comparativo: una investigación empírica," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 7(13), pages 17-67, July-Dece. [Downloadable!]
  4. Matthias Cinyabuguma & Louis Putterman, 2006. "Sub-Saharan Growth Surprises: Geography, Institutions And History in an all African Data Panel," Working Papers 2006-21, Brown University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Nathan Nunn, 2005. "Historical Legacies: A Model Linking Africa's Past to its Current Underdevelopment," Development and Comp Systems 0508008, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2000. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," NBER Working Papers 7771, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Graziella Bertocchi & Chiara Strozzi, 2008. "International migration and the role of institutions," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 81-102, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Galor, Oded & Moav, Omer & Vollrath, Dietrich, 2008. "Inequality in Land Ownership, the Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions and the Great Divergence," CEPR Discussion Papers 6751, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2004. "Land Inequality and the Origin of Divergence and Overtaking in the Growth Process," GE, Growth, Math methods 0410004, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  10. Nathan Nunn, 2004. "Slavery, Institutional Development, and Long-Run Growth in Africa, 1400--2000," International Trade 0411007, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  11. A. Javier Hamann & Alessandro Prati, 2003. "Why Do Many Disinflations Fail? The Importance of Luck, Timing, and Political Institutions," IMF Working Papers 02/228, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  12. Olsson, Ola, 2004. "Unbundling Ex-Colonies: A Comment on Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson, 2001," Working Papers in Economics 146, Göteborg University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  13. Pierre-Richard Agénor, 2006. "A Theory of Infrastructure-led Development," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 83, Economics, The Univeristy of Manchester. [Downloadable!]
  14. Jones, Patricia, . "Did the Colonial Powers Pick Economic Winners?," Vassar College Department of Economics Working Paper Series 89, Vassar College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  15. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2006. "Inequality in Land Ownership, the Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions, and Great Divergence," Working Papers 2006-14, Brown University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  16. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "The Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions in the Process of Development," GE, Growth, Math methods 0508008, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  17. L Angeles, 2005. "Income Inequality and Colonialism," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 66, Economics, The Univeristy of Manchester. [Downloadable!]
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  18. Pierre-Richard Agénor, 2006. "A Theory of Infrastructure-led Development," The School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 0640, Economics, The University of Manchester. [Downloadable!]
  19. Chris Papageorgiou & Winford H. Masanjala, . "Initial Conditions, European Colonialism and Africa's Growth," Departmental Working Papers 2006-01, Department of Economics, Louisiana State University. [Downloadable!]
  20. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "Land Inequality and the Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions," Development and Comp Systems 0502018, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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