In this article, we revisit the relationship among institutions, human capital, and
development. We argue that empirical models that treat institutions and human capital as …

This article provides a survey of a growing body of empirical evidence that points toward the
important long-term effects that historic events can have on economic development. The …

We complement the literature on distributive politics by taking a systematic look at regional
favoritism in a large and diverse sample of countries and by employing a broad measure …

We investigate the role of deeply rooted pre‐colonial ethnic institutions in shaping
comparative regional development within African countries. We combine information on the …

Contemporary public administration reflects its historical roots, as well as contemporary
ideas about how the public bureaucracy should be organized and function. This book …

We investigate the role of national institutions on subnational African development in a novel
framework that accounts for both local geography and cultural-genetic traits. We exploit the …

As Africa's role on the global stage is rising, so does the need to understand the shadow of
history on the continent's economy and polity. We discuss recent works that shed light on …

We study the effect of constraints on chiefs' power on economic outcomes, citizens' attitudes,
and social capital. A paramount chief in Sierra Leone must come from a ruling family …

We show that current differences in trust levels within Africa can be traced back to the
transatlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades. Combining contemporary individual-level …

Colonial powers typically organized economic activity in the colonies to maximize their
economic returns. While the literature has emphasized long-run negative economic impacts …