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Is colonialism history? The declining impact of colonial legacies on African institutional and economic development

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  • MASELAND, ROBBERT

Abstract

This paper investigates the claim that colonial history has left an enduring imprint on Africa's institutional and economic development. The literature following Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson (2001) and Sokoloff and Engerman (2000) maintains that different types of colonialism affected the institutional environment differently, and that path-dependence subsequently ensures that these institutional differences and their impact on economic performance are persistent over time. By tracing the impact of colonial institutions on contemporary institutions over time, I show that – in contrast to claims in this literature – the relevance of colonial legacies to institutional quality and to per capita income is rapidly disappearing in Africa. Differences in institutional quality or income are explained less and less by colonial legacy, while there is some evidence that precolonial social and geographical circumstances are becoming more important. I conclude that while colonialism has affected African institutional and economic development significantly, this impact is not persistent. Rather, the evidence suggests that colonialism has created a large but very temporary institutional shock, after which a long-run equilibrium is being restored.

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  • Maseland, Robbert, 2018. "Is colonialism history? The declining impact of colonial legacies on African institutional and economic development," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 259-287, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:jinsec:v:14:y:2018:i:02:p:259-287_00
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    1. Canh Phuc Nguyen & Binh Nguyen Quang & Thanh Dinh Su, 2023. "Institutional frameworks and the shadow economy: new evidence of colonial history, socialist history, religion, and legal systems," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 50(3), pages 647-675, September.
    2. Maseland, Robbert, 2021. "Contingent determinants," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Mutarindwa, Samuel & Schäfer, Dorothea & Stephan, Andreas, 2021. "Differences in African banking systems: causes and consequences," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(4), pages 561-581, August.
    4. Benjamin Kamga Fomba & Dieu Ne Dort Fokam Talla & Paul Ningaye, 2023. "Institutional Quality and Education Quality in Developing Countries: Effects and Transmission Channels," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(1), pages 86-115, March.
    5. Gutmann, Jerg & Voigt, Stefan, 2020. "Traditional law in times of the nation state: why is it so prevalent?," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(4), pages 445-461, August.
    6. Asngar, Thierry Mamadou & Nkoa, Bruno Emmanuel Ongo & Zambo, Charles Christian Atangana, 2022. "Does colonisation explain the low level of growth in African financial markets?," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 46(3).
    7. Bournakis, Ioannis & Rizov, Marian & Christopoulos, Dimitris, 2021. "Revisiting the Economic Performance and Institutions Debate in SSA Countries: The Role of Legal Origins in the Context of Ethnic Heterogeneity," MPRA Paper 106557, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Bournakis, Ioannis & Rizov, Marian & Christopoulos, Dimitris, 2023. "Revisiting the effect of institutions on the economic performance of SSA countries: Do legal origins matter in the context of ethnic heterogeneity?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    9. Fraenkel, Jon & Filer, Colin, 2022. "Prisoners of a distant past? Linguistic diversity and the time-depth of human settlement in Papua New Guinea," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    10. Larcom, Shaun, 2019. "Linking precolonial institutions with ethnic fractionalisation: what are we measuring?," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(5), pages 811-826, October.
    11. Maren Duvendack & Richard Palmer-Jones, 2023. "Colonial Legacies, Ethnicity and Fertility Decline in Kenya: What has Financial Inclusion Got to Do with It?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(5), pages 1028-1058, October.
    12. Christian Bjørnskov & Martin Rode, 2020. "Regime types and regime change: A new dataset on democracy, coups, and political institutions," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 531-551, April.
    13. Frolov, Daniil, 2021. "Transplantation of economic institutions: a post-institutional theory (expanded version)," MPRA Paper 108707, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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