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Colonialism and genetics of comparative development

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  • Riahi, Ideen

Abstract

This study argues that European colonial policies and former colonies’ genetic variation (genetic distance to Europeans and genetic diversity) were interlinked. Over a prolonged period of time, populations that were genetically far from Europeans and had extreme levels of genetic diversity (e.g. in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas) adapted to environments that were significantly different from the climatic conditions of continental Europe. This resulted in a divergence in populations’ resistance to infectious diseases and positive relationships between European settler mortality at the time of colonization, genetic distance to the technological frontier, and genetic diversity. I evaluate the consequences of the aforementioned relationships first, for the role of genetic distance and diversity in development (e.g. Spolaore and Wacziarg, 2009; Ashraf and Galor, 2013), and second, for studies that use European settler mortality as an instrument for institutions (e.g. Acemoglu et al., 2001). The results highlight a potential bias in the estimates of the effect of genetic distance and diversity on contemporary development in a sample of former colonies and suggest that the effect of these measures on current economic and institutional outcomes is indirect and works through Europeans’ colonial policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Riahi, Ideen, 2017. "Colonialism and genetics of comparative development," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 27(PA), pages 55-73.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:27:y:2017:i:pa:p:55-73
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2017.05.001
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cook, C. Justin & Fletcher, Jason M., 2022. "Heterogeneity in disease resistance and the impact of antibiotics in the US," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    2. Riahi, Ideen, 2020. "How hominin dispersals and megafaunal extinctions influenced the birth of agriculture," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 227-250.
    3. Ideen A. Riahi, 2022. "Why Eurasia? A probe into the origins of global inequalities," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 16(1), pages 105-147, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic development; Colonization; Genetic distance; Genetic diversity; Institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O50 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - General
    • P51 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Analysis of Economic Systems
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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