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Confronting Colonial Legacies - Lessons from Human Development in Ghana and Kenya, 1880-2000
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 22:56 authored by Alexander MoradiA growing body of scholarly research locates the roots of Africas poverty in its colonial past. However, studies avoid tracing Africas development over the full course of history. In this paper, I quantify the changes in well-being of the African population in Ghana and Kenya, at the regional level, during the years 1880-2000. By using body stature as a measure of nutritional status I overcome the scarcity and unreliability of historical data. The two countries had a much more diverse development under colonial times than commonly assumed, with phases of substantial progress (which was also unevenly distributed between the regions). Based on these new findings I confront the existing colonial legacy literature and point to possible lessons that can be drawn from human development over the last 120 years.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Journal of International DevelopmentISSN
0954-1748Publisher
John Wiley and SonsExternal DOI
Issue
8Volume
20Page range
1107-1121Department affiliated with
- Economics Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes