Chapter 3 Growth, Colonization, and Institutional Development: In and Out of Africa

Abstract

This chapter investigates the determinants of the growth performance of Africa. I start by illustrating a broader research agenda that accounts not only for basic economic and demographic factors but also for the role of history and institutional development. After reporting results from standard growth regressions, I analyze the role of Africa's peculiar history, which has been marked by its colonization experience. Next, I discuss the potential growth impact of state fragility, a concept that reflects multiple facets of the dysfunctions that plague the continent. The last topic I address is the influence, in and out of Africa, of the slave trades. The chapter ends with critical conclusions and suggestions for further research.

Citation

Bertocchi, G. (2011), "Chapter 3 Growth, Colonization, and Institutional Development: In and Out of Africa", de La Grandville, O. (Ed.) Economic Growth and Development (Frontiers of Economics and Globalization, Vol. 11), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 25-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1574-8715(2011)0000011008