Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP8486
Authors: Graziella Bertocchi
Abstract: This essay investigates the determinants of the growth performance of Africa. I start by illustrating a broader research agenda which 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 which 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 essay ends with critical conclusions and suggestions for further research.
Keywords: Africa; Colonization; Growth; History; Institutions; Slavery; State Fragility
JEL Codes: H11; N17; O43
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| State Fragility (O17) | Economic Outcomes (P47) |
| Colonization (F54) | Current Growth Rates (O49) |
| Colonization (F54) | Economic Outcomes (P47) |
| Slave Trades (J47) | Current Economic Performance (E66) |