colonialism

In Colombia, municipalities subjected to the Spanish encomienda – a colonial system of forced indigenous labour – are wealthier and better governed today, in spite of the extractive institution imposed on them.

New evidence from colonial history is challenging the consensus that extractive institutions always harm long-run development, showing that outcomes depend on whether extraction left behind durable public infrastructure and state capacity.

Drawing on nearly 250 years of Indian colonial history, new research examines how direct British rule and landlord-based land tenure shaped access to schools, health centres, roads, and agricultural productivity across Indian districts. Updated analysis shows that targeted post-colonial policies have erased many of these gaps, but income and fertiliser-use differentials linked to the land system remain.

Ethnic diversity is often blamed for poor development outcomes. New evidence from colonial Peru shows that a history of economic exchange can sustain inter-ethnic cooperation and local trade in the long run.

Theories from research in anthropology, history and African studies, combined with new data on independent political communities in pre-colonial Africa, provide an alternate view of the continent’s history. Africans succeeded in keeping the scale of ...

Voting rights alone did not transform political participation or competition in India, but they did shift government priorities in favour of the newly enfranchised voters.

Colonial segregation policies in Mexico City entrenched divisions between Spaniards and indigenous communities, shaping modern economic inequalities because of weak property rights, unequal provision of public goods and enduring social stigma.

Government use of prison labour can distort incentives for incarceration and have lasting negative effects on trust in legal institutions like police

Medical missions in colonial India continue to have a lasting impact on the health outcomes of individuals born long after Indian independence