Colonial origins of comparative development in Ghana

Mohammed Iddrisu Kambala

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: A striking feature of Ghana’s development landscape is the stark development disparity between a relatively developed South and a trailing North. Explanations for the disparity have often been hinged on differences in geography and past colonial experience. In this study, I provide an empirical justification for the historical hypothesis that the dynamics of colonial rule contributed significantly to the development divergence between the North and the South. I exploit the asymmetric regional distribution of past colonial public investments in education, health and infrastructure to show that the dynamics of colonial rule explain a significant portion of the development disparity between the two regions. I also survey compelling historical anecdotes to show that prior to the colonial project the North was a relatively prosperous region.

Keywords: colonial rule; development disparity; colonial investments; Northern Ghana; Southern Ghana (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N00 O10 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-01-01, Revised 2022-08-22
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-his
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