Histoire coloniale et commerce international

We investigate the role of colonial history on current international trade. We benefit from the British and French colonial experiences to compare their differential effect on trade of former African colonies. Former British colonies appear to trade more on average than their French counterparts. This finding seems related to the superiority of the British institutions documented in the literature. However, a core concern is the endogenous selection of colonies by the British. Historical evidence suggests in fact that, with Britain, trade preceded colonization. Controlling for this endogeneity, we find no evidence of a systematic difference between British and French colonization on current trade of former colonies. Classification JEL : F10, F54, 055