Enforcing Colonial Rule: Blood Tax and Head Tax in French West Africa

Denis Cogneau and Zhexun Mo
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Zhexun Mo: WIL - World Inequality Lab, Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality - New York

World Inequality Lab Working Papers from HAL

Abstract: We study the enforcement of two pillars of colonial rule in French West Africa—military conscription and head tax collection—using new district-level data from 1919 to 1949. Tax compliance was strikingly high, with about 80 percent of liable taxpayers meeting obligations despite limited administrative capacity. Military recruitment targets were likewise consistently met despite avoidance and poor health. Spikes in head tax rates significantly increased tax-related protests, prompting colonial authorities to moderate rates in times of crisis and adjust burdens to perceived district affluence. Yet local shocks such as droughts or crop price collapses were largely ignored.

Keywords: Conflict; Colonialism; Compliance; Taxation; Military Conscription; State Capacity; French Colonial Empire; West Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04823289v2
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Related works:
Working Paper: Enforcing Colonial Rule: Blood Tax and Head Tax in French West Africa (2025)
Working Paper: Enforcing Colonial Rule: Blood Tax and Head Tax in French West Africa (2025)
Working Paper: Enforcing Colonial Rule: Blood Tax and Head Tax in French West Africa (2024)
Working Paper: Enforcing Colonial Rule: Blood Tax and Head Tax in French West Africa (2024)
Working Paper: Enforcing Colonial Rule: Blood Tax and Head Tax in French West Africa (2024)
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