The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa

Michalopoulos, S and Papaioannou, E (2016) The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa. American Economic Review, 106 (7). pp. 1802-1848. ISSN 0002-8282

Abstract

We explore the consequences of ethnic partitioning, a neglected aspect of the Scramble for Africa, and uncover the following. First, apart from the land mass and water bodies, split and non-split groups are similar across several dimensions. Second, the incidence, severity, and duration of political violence are all higher for partitioned homelands which also experience frequent military interventions from neighboring countries. Third, split groups are often entangled in a vicious circle of government-led discrimination and ethnic wars. Fourth, respondents from survey data identifying with split ethnicities are economically disadvantaged. The evidence highlights the detrimental repercussions of the colonial border design.