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Colonialism and development in Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Heldring , Leander

    (Department of Economics, Oxford University)

  • Robinson , James A.

    (Department of Government, Harvard University)

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate the impact of colonialism on development in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the world context, colonialism had very heterogeneous effects, operating through many mechanisms, sometimes encouraging development sometimes retarding it. In the African case, however, this heterogeneity is muted, making an assessment of the average effect more interesting. We emphasize that to draw conclusions it is necessary not just to know what actually happened to development during the colonial period, but also to take a view on what might have happened without colonialism and also to take into account the legacy of colonialism. We argue that in the light of plausible counter-factuals, colonialism probably had a uniformly negative effect on development in Africa. To develop this claim we distinguish between three sorts of colonies: (1) those which coincided with a pre-colonial centralized state, (2) those of white settlement, (3) the rest. Each have distinct performance within the colonial period, different counter-factuals and varied legacies.

Suggested Citation

  • Heldring , Leander & Robinson , James A., 2013. "Colonialism and development in Africa," African Economic History Working Paper 5/2012, African Economic History Network.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:afekhi:2012_005
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    Cited by:

    1. Sudhanshu K. MISHRA, 2017. "Measuring degree of globalization of African Countries on almost equimarginal contribution principle," Journal of Economics Bibliography, KSP Journals, vol. 4(4), pages 345-353, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Colonialism; Africa; colonial legacy; inequality; development; institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F54 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - Colonialism; Imperialism; Postcolonialism
    • N37 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N47 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Africa; Oceania
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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