Pre-Colonial Warfare and Long-Run Development in India

Mark Dincecco, James Fenske, Anil Menon and Shivaji Mukherjee

The Economic Journal, 2022, vol. 132, issue 643, 981-1010

Abstract: Does pre-colonial history—and in particular the role of interstate warfare—help explain long-run development patterns across India? To address this question, we construct a new geocoded database of historical conflicts on the Indian subcontinent. We document a robust positive relationship between pre-colonial conflict exposure and local economic development today. Drawing on archival and secondary data, we show that districts that were more exposed to pre-colonial conflict experienced greater early state-making, followed by lower political violence and higher investments in physical and human capital in the long term.

Date: 2022
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Working Paper: Pre-Colonial Warfare and Long-Run Development in India (2019)
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