Human Development under Colonial Rule in West Africa: Exploitation, Modernization and Legacies
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Business Management & Economics
Abstract
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People |
ORCID iD |
| Alexander Moradi (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Marcel Fafchamps
(2015)
Referral and Job Performance: Evidence from the Ghana Colonial Army
in Economic Development and Cultural Change
Oliver Vanden Eynde
(2018)
Trickle-Down Ethnic Politics: Drunk and Absent in the Kenya Police Force (1957-1970)
in American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
| Description | Using data of more than 80,000 Africans recruited to the West African regiments of the Tirailleurs Sénégalais 1880-1960, we studied the development of mean heights of African men as a measure of living standard. After a battery of tests studying the representativeness of our sample, we find that forest districts of birth of Côte d'Ivoire and of Benin (somewhat less robustly) exhibit a modest positive height trend. In other areas, heights have stagnated. This suggests a rather bleak development of African living standards under the French Empire. The data collected in this project was also used to study the rise of ethnic politics in Kenya after independence. Ethnic politics affected the Police Force in that officers from the ruling ethnic group changed their behaviour and misbehaved more. We argue that the misfunciton of the polic represents a cost to society which cannot be addressed unless ethnic politics at the national level will change. |
| Exploitation Route | We developed a database of a measure of living standard at a very disaggregated level that can be applied quite flexibly in other research questions, particularly for issues of long-run development. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Education Environment Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | Black and White living standards in South African history |
| Amount | R100,000 (ZAR) |
| Organisation | Elite Fund South Africa |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | South Africa |
| Start | 08/2014 |
| End | 09/2016 |
| Description | Histoire coloniale et Développement en Afrique |
| Amount | € 250,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | AFRISTORY |
| Organisation | National Agency for Research |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | France |
| Start | 09/2011 |
| End | 03/2015 |
| Title | Men under Arms in Colonial Africa: Tirailleurs Senegalais 1880-1960 |
| Description | The data set contains information of 130,000 individuals recruited to the French colonial army between 1880 and 1960 including date and place of enlistment, place of birth & residence, age, marital status, education, ethnicity, occupation prior to enlistment, and height. The geographic coordinates of the place of birth was extracted for 75% of the sample. Geographic coverage: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Description | Histoire coloniale et Développement en Afrique |
| Organisation | Paris School of Economics |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This project was inspired by the ESRC project but proposed using administrative data from French Blue Books. We intend to join the two data bases and combine the evidence. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | ERSA Workshop "GIS in History", East London, South Africa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Increased interest in GIS applications from South African researchers. Increased use of GIS at Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.ehssa.org.za/index.php/workshops-and-conferences/ |
| Description | VoxEu Online publication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | So far the webpage article was clicked by 8,000 individuals. Increased exposure of the findings that colonial policies have a causal impact on literacy outcomes in Africa today. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.voxeu.org/article/british-and-french-educational-legacies-africa |