Is Africa Different? Historical Conflict and State Development. Issue 2 (4th May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dincecco, Mark; Fenske, James; Onorato, Massimiliano Gaetano
• Is Part Of: Economic history of developing regions. Volume 34:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 209
• Page End: 250
• Publication Date: 2019-05-04
• Subjects: Warfare -- State Development -- Fiscal Capacity -- Civil Conflict; Developing countries -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; Africa, Southern -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; Economic history -- Periodicals; Economic history; Africa, Southern; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 330.091724
• DOI: 10.1080/20780389.2019.1586528
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2078-0389

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We show new evidence that the consequences of historical warfare for state development differ for Sub-Saharan Africa. We identify the locations of more than 1, 600 conflicts in Africa, Asia, and Europe from 1400 to 1799. We find that historical warfare predicts common-interest states defined by high fiscal capacity and low civil conflict across much of the Old World. For Sub-Saharan Africa, historical warfare predicts special-interest states defined by high fiscal capacity and high civil conflict. Our results offer new evidence about where and when 'war makes states'.