Colonial Rule and the Power of Chiefs over Land Resources

Abdulaziz B. Shifa

Journal of Development Studies, 2025, vol. 61, issue 10, 1642-1659

Abstract: Property rights over land—a pivotal asset in developing countries—exhibit significant variations across economies. Nonetheless, the causes for such variations remain open empirical questions. We focus on colonial rule, as Africa’s colonial history suggests that British rule may have entrenched the power of chiefs over land resources. Using micro-data, we find that chiefs in anglophone countries have greater authority in land allocation than their francophone counterparts. This result holds across various specifications, including discontinuity analysis focusing on observations near anglophone–francophone borders. This effect increases with the intensity of British indirect rule and with the formal recognition of chieftaincy by postcolonial states. The findings highlight the enduring impact of colonial rule on contemporary land institutions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2025.2489555

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