Further Evidence on the Link between Pre-Colonial Political Centralization and Comparative Economic Development in Africa
28 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2014
Date Written: November 2014
Abstract
We examine the link between pre-colonial statehood and contemporary regional African development, as reflected in satellite images on light density at night. We employ a variety of historical maps to capture the former. Our within-country analysis reveals a strong positive correlation between pre-colonial political centralization and contemporary development (and urbanization). If anything, the association strengthens when we account for measurement error on the historical maps of pre-colonial political organization.
Keywords: Africa, development, ethnicity, institutions, state capacity
JEL Classification: O10, O40, O43
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
