The Comparative Politics of Colonialism and Its Legacies: An Introduction

Abstract

What are the causes and consequences of colonial rule? This introduction to the special issue "Comparative Politics of Colonialism and Its Legacies" surveys recent literature in political science, sociology, and economics that addresses colonial state building and colonial legacies. Past research has made important contributions to our understanding of colonialism's long-term effects on political, social, and economic development. Existing work emphasizes the role of critical junctures and institutions in understanding the transmission of those effects to present-day outcomes and embraces the idea of design-based inference for empirical analysis. The four articles of this special issue add to existing research but also represent new research trends: increased attention to (1) the internal dynamics of colonial intervention; (2) noninstitutional transmission mechanisms; (3) the role of context conditions at times of colonial intervention; and (4) a finer-grained disaggregation of outcomes, explanatory factors, and units of analysis.

Differences in life expectancy between four Western countries and their Caribbean dependencies, 1980–2014

“…We recognize that the current political status of these dependencies is in many aspects comparable to the colonial era, and could in fact be seen as a continuance of the asymmetrical power relationship with a former colonizer, as is regularly echoed in political rhetoric. 27,28 Contemporary literature points to the benefits of late colonialism largely outweighing its disadvantages, [29][30][31][32] while also demonstrating that Caribbean people in Western countries experience negative treatment based on their skin color, 33,34 and are disproportionally disadvantaged for factors that contribute to their health. 35,36 Considering the duality of these cultural dynamics, with sustainable development on one side, and social stigmatization on the other, it may then not be too surprising that the populations of many former colonies are hesitant to allow more 'Western' influences in their internal affairs, yet currently struggle to move forward as well.…”

The colonial struggle over polygamy: Consequences for educational expansion in sub-Saharan Africa

“…Overall, this paper makes two central contributions. First, it informs research on the colonial legacy of economic and social development (for recent reviews, see De Juan and Pierskalla 2017 ; Michalopoulos and Papaioannou 2018 ; Nunn 2020 ), in particular on the long-term effects of colonial-era missions on educational outcomes in Africa today. It highlights in particular the importance of pre-colonial conditions, which have not been a focus of most earlier work (Michalopoulos and Papaioannou 2013 ), and the role Africans played in shaping colonial-era developments and its long-term consequences.…”

“… 2 For recent reviews, see De Juan and Pierskalla 2017 ; Michalopoulos and Papaioannou 2018 ; and Nunn 2020 . …”

Colonial empires, actor constellations, and their legacies

“…Independence is frequently equated with the end of colonial empires. While this might be true from a legal standpoint, colonial legacies continue to shape the trajectories of affected countries (De Juan & Pierskalla, 2017). The transnational nature of policymaking in former colonies is but one example.…”