Abstract. This special issue, devoted to the analysis of colonial institutions in the economic performance of countries both pre-and post-colonialism Africa, aims to be a contribution, in the vein of North (2005), to the field of colonial studies in comparative institutional perspective. The papers in this issue combine the history of economic thought, econometrics, economic history, cliometrics and the analysis of colonial institutions. These approaches shed a new light on the question of path-dependence and historical dynamics. They suggest that as former African colonial countries move away from the colonial period, the shadow of colonial institutions is less marked and is now rivalled in importance by the extent of democracy, which now plays a crucial role in their economic development.The papers in this special issue address the impact of colonial institutions on African economic development. Addressing a number of themes, they bring together ideas from the history of economic thought, econometrics, economic history and cliometrics.1 One aim is to illustrate the richness of institutional economics and cliometrics in assessing the economic performance of African countries both pre-and post-colonialism. Given the complex legacy of colonialism, the authors are well aware that it is extremely difficult to embrace all the aspects of the topic. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the approaches presented in this special issue will facilitate further research on these topics and help engage in deeper interdisciplinary exchanges (Alam, 1994;Cooper, 2010;Easterly and Levine, 2003; Sokoloff, 1997, 2010;Johnson et al., 2001;Lacoste, 2010;La Porta et al., 1997; Zingales, 1998, 2001;Young, 1994). *