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Colonial experience and postcolonial underdevelopment in Africa

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  • Nobuhiro Mizuno
  • Ryosuke Okazawa

Abstract

IIn this paper, we analyze the connection between the history of colonial rule and postcolonial development in Africa. We focus on the fact that many African colonies were governed by indirect rule. Under indirect rule, indigenous people are divided into two groups: a privileged ruling group and an unprivileged ruled group. Our model assumes that the ruled group cannot observe how their deprived resources are divided between the metropolitan ruler and the ruling group. In this economy, a large level of exploitation by the metropolitan ruler yields distrust among indigenous groups and creates a negative effect on postcolonial economic and political development.
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  • Nobuhiro Mizuno & Ryosuke Okazawa, 2009. "Colonial experience and postcolonial underdevelopment in Africa," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 141(3), pages 405-419, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:141:y:2009:i:3:p:405-419
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-009-9461-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lange, Matthew K., 2004. "British Colonial Legacies and Political Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 905-922, June.
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2001. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1369-1401, December.
    3. Nicola Gennaioli & Ilia Rainer, 2007. "The modern impact of precolonial centralization in Africa," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 185-234, September.
    4. Catherine Boone, 1998. "State building in the African countryside: Structure and politics at the grassroots," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(4), pages 1-31.
    5. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    6. Nicholas Sambanis, 2002. "A Review of Recent Advances and Future Directions in the Quantitative Literature on Civil War," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 215-243.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fu, Tong & Wei, Zhongmei & Jian, Ze, 2019. "The persistent institutional effect of liberal colonialism: Evidence from China's financial policies," Economics Discussion Papers 2019-36, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    2. Mizuno, Nobuhiro, 2016. "Political structure as a legacy of indirect colonial rule: Bargaining between national governments and rural elites in Africa," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 1023-1039.
    3. Keith W. Glaister & Nigel Driffield & Yupu Lin, 2020. "Foreign Direct Investment to Africa: Is There a Colonial Legacy?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 315-349, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Africa; Colonialism; Indirect rule; Colonial legacies; Ethnic conflict; D74; N47; O10;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • N47 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Africa; Oceania
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General

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