Trade and colonial status

Trade and colonial status

Author: 
Sousa, Jose de
Publisher: 
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date published: 
2012
Record type: 
Responsibility: 
Lochard, Julie, jt. author
Journal Title: 
Journal of African Economies
Source: 
Journal of African Economies, Vol.21,No.3, 2012,pp409-439
Abstract: 

Does colonisation explain differences in trade performance across developing countries? In this paper, we analyse the differential impact of British versus French colonial legacies on the current trade of African ex-colonies. We initially find that former British colonies trade more, on average, than do their French counterparts. This difference might be the result of the relative superiority of British institutions. However, a core concern is the non-random selection of colonies by the British. Historians argue that with Britain, trade preceded colonisation. Using an instrument based on colonisation history to control for this endogeneity, we find no evidence of a systematic difference between the British and French colonial legacies with respect to trade. This finding suggests that the apparent better performance of British ex-colonies might be instead explained by pre-colonial conditions.

Language: 

CITATION: Sousa, Jose de. Trade and colonial status . : Oxford University Press (OUP) , 2012. Journal of African Economies, Vol.21,No.3, 2012,pp409-439 - Available at: https://library.au.int/trade-and-colonial-status-6