Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14198
Authors: Jutta Bolt; Leigh Gardner
Abstract: Colonial institutions in Africa are the subject of a substantial literature, but it neglects the local institutions which governed Africans in rural areas. This paper uses new data on local African governments, or “Native Authorities” in British Africa to present the first quantitative comparison of African institutions under indirect rule in the late colonial period. Using tax revenue as a measure of state capacity, the data show that the structure and capacity of Native Authorities varied between and within colonies, based not only on underlying economic inequalities but also on the relationships between African elites and colonial governments.
Keywords: colonialism; institutions; africa
JEL Codes: N47; N97
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| interaction between colonial officials and African elites (F54) | institutional structures of native authorities (H10) |
| institutional structures of native authorities (H10) | tax revenue collected (H27) |
| greater autonomy of native authorities (H77) | higher levels of revenue per capita (O51) |
| interaction between colonial officials and African elites (F54) | tax revenue collected (H27) |
| economic inequalities (D31) | institutional structures of native authorities (H10) |