The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa

Stelios Michalopoulos and Elias Papaioannou

No 762, Discussion Papers Series, Department of Economics, Tufts University from Department of Economics, Tufts University

Abstract: We examine the long run consequences of the scramble for Africa among European powers in the late 19th century and uncover the following empirical regularities. First using information on the spatial distribution of African ethicities before colonization, we show that borders were arbitrarily drawn. Apart from the land mass and water area of an ethnicity's historical homeland, no other geographic, ecological, historical, and ethnic-specific traits predict which ethnic groups have been partitioned by the national border. Second, using data on the location of civil conflicts after independence, we show that partitioned ethnic groups have suffered significantly more warfare; moreover, partitioned ethnicities have experienced more prolonged and more devastating civil wars. Third, we identify sizeable spill overs; civil conflict spreads from the homeland of partitioned ethnicities to nearby ethnic regions. These results are robust to a rich set of controls at a fine level and the inclusion of country fixed effects and ethnic family fixed effects. The uncovered evidence thus identifies a sizable causal impact of the scramble for Africa on warfare.

Keywords: Africa; Borders; Ethnicities; Conflict; Development. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N17 N97 O10 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr and nep-dev
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (49)

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http://ase.tufts.edu/econ/research/documents/2011/michalopoulosLongRun.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa (2016)
Working Paper: The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa (2013)
Working Paper: The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa (2011)
Working Paper: The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tuf:tuftec:0762

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