determined by the initial gap. We obtain these results with 2SLS estimates where slavery is used as an instrument for the initial … gap. The excludability of slavery is preliminarily established by instrumenting it with the share of disembarked slaves … initial racial gap in education and that slavery affects growth indirectly through this channel. …

The slave trades out of Africa represent one of the most significant forced migration experiences in history. In this …" countries in Africa, with attention to their economic, institutional, demographic, and social implications. Next I evaluate the …

This essay investigates the determinants of the growth performance of Africa. I start by illustrating a broader … institutional development. After reporting results from standard growth regressions, I analyze the role of Africa's peculiar history … influence, in and out of Africa, of the slave trades. The essay ends with critical conclusions and suggestions for further …

This paper addresses the long-term impact of Sub-Saharan Africa's indigenous systems of slavery on its political and … develop a theory to account for this based on the framework proposed by North et al. (2009), where indigenous slavery may have … indigenous slavery is robustly and negatively associated with the quality of governance and with current income levels. …

I trace the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on the evolution of political authority in West Africa. I present … econometric evidence showing that the trans-Atlantic slave trade increased absolutism in pre-colonial West Africa by approximately … 17% to 35%, while reducing democracy and liberalism. I argue that this slavery-induced absolutism also influenced the …

According to western observers, slavery was almost universal in Africa by the end of the slave trade era. I investigate … the extent to which the international slave trades transformed the institutions of slavery in Africa. I use newly … catchment zones adopted slavery to defend against further enslavement. More generally, I find that the international slave …

the model, the existence of land rights, slavery, and polygyny occurred in those parts of Africa that were the most …, slavery, and polygyny. I then use crosssectional data on pre-colonial African societies to demonstrate that, consistent with …