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Colonialism and Industrialization: Empirical Results

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  • Alam, M. Shahid

Abstract

This paper presents theory and evidence to show that imperialism was a major factor impeding the spread of the industrial revolution during the century ending in the 1950s. Two empirical results stand out. First, analysis of historical evidence shows that most sovereign countries were implementing active industrial policies during the nineteenth century, while policies in dependent countries were biased in the opposite direction. Second, when allowance is made for economic determinants, industrialization in dependent countries in 1960 is found to be significantly lower than in sovereign countries. This result is shown to be quite robust to changes in data, sample size, functional forms, and specifications of the estimating equations. In particular, the basic results are not affected by the inclusion of a dummy for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Alam, M. Shahid, 1998. "Colonialism and Industrialization: Empirical Results," MPRA Paper 37866, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2012.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:37866
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alam, M S, 1994. "Colonialism, Decolonisation and Growth Rates: Theory and Empirical Evidence," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 18(3), pages 235-257, June.
    2. Palma, Gabriel, 1978. "Dependency: A formal theory of underdevelopment or a methodology for the analysis of concrete situations of underdevelopment?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 6(7-8), pages 881-924.
    3. Levine, Ross & Renelt, David, 1992. "A Sensitivity Analysis of Cross-Country Growth Regressions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(4), pages 942-963, September.
    4. Griffin, Keith & Gurley, John, 1985. "Radical Analyses of Imperialism, the Third World, and the Transition to Socialism: A Survey Article," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 23(3), pages 1089-1143, September.
    5. Clark, Gregory, 1987. "Why Isn't the Whole World Developed? Lessons from the Cotton Mills," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(1), pages 141-173, March.
    6. Issawi, Charles, 1961. "Egypt Since 1800: A Study in Lop-sided Development," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 1-25, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Colonialism; Industrialization; Imperialism; Sovereignty; Colony; Open Door Countries; Arthur Lewis; David Landes; Britain; Africa; Asia; Latin America; India; Neo-Marxism; Karl Marx; Dependency Theory; Culture; Climate; Race; Religion; Protection; Free Trade; Friedrich List; Industry; Economies of Scale; External Economies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O24 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Trade Policy; Factor Movement; Foreign Exchange Policy
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology

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