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Political Centralization in Pre-Colonial Africa

Osafo-Kwaako, Philip - 2013

In this paper we investigate the empirical correlates of political centralization using data from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample. We specifically investigate the explanatory power of the standard models of Eurasian state formation which emphasize the importance of high population density,...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013087288

Nation-Building, Nationalism and Wars

Alesina, Alberto F. - 2017

The increase in army size observed in early modern times changed the way states conducted wars. Starting in the late 18th century, states switched from mercenaries to a mass army by conscription. In order for the population to accept to fight and endure war, the government elites began to...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012955943

On the Number and Size of Nations

Alesina, Alberto F.; Spolaore, Enrico - 2021

This paper studies the equilibrium determination of the number of political jurisdictions in different political regimes, democratic or not, and in different economic environments, with more or less economic integration. We focus on the trade off between the benefits of large jurisdictions in...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013232437

Property Rights and Financial Development : The Legacy of Japanese Colonial Institutions

Yoo, Dongwoo - 2010

Several studies link modern economic performance to institutions transplanted by European colonizers and here we extend this line of research to Asia. Japan imposed its system of well-defined property rights in land on some of its Asian colonies, including Korea, Taiwan and Palau. In 1939 Japan...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013135762

Monetization and Growth in Colonial New England, 1703-1749

Rousseau, Peter L. - 2010

We examine econometrically the real effects of paper money's introduction into colonial New England over the 1703-1749 period. Departing from earlier analyses that focus primarily on the depreciation of paper money in the region, we show that expansion of the money stock promoted growth in...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013141002

The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa

Michalopoulos, Stelios - 2011

We examine the long-run consequences of ethnic partitioning, a neglected aspect of the Scramble for Africa, and uncover the following regularities. First, apart from the land mass and presence of water bodies, historical homelands of split and non-split groups are similar across many observable...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013118126

Economic Growth in the Mid Atlantic Region : Conjectural Estimates for 1720 to 1800

Mancall, Peter C. - 2011

We employ the conjectural approach to estimate the growth of GDP per capita for the colonies and states of the mid-Atlantic region (Del., NJ, NY and Penn). In contrast to previous studies of the region's growth that relied heavily on the performance of the export sector, the conjectural method...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013122468

Divide and Rule or the Rule of the Divided? Evidence from Africa

Michalopoulos, Stelios - 2011

We investigate jointly the importance of contemporary country-level institutional structures and local ethnic-specific pre-colonial institutions in shaping comparative regional development in Africa. We utilize information on the spatial distribution of African ethnicities before colonization...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013122873

Hither Thou Shalt Come, But No Further : Reply to "the Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation: Comment"

Acemoglu, Daron - 2011

David Albouy expresses three main concerns about the results in Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson (2001) on the relationship between potential settler mortality and institutions. First, there is a general concern that there are high mortality outliers, potentially affecting this relationship, with...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013126216

Colonialism and Economic Development in Africa

Heldring, Leander - 2012

In this paper we evaluate the impact of colonialism on development in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the world context …, colonialism had very heterogeneous effects, operating through many mechanisms, sometimes encouraging development sometimes … the colonial period, but also to take a view on what might have happened without colonialism and also to take into account …

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10013097280