African historians have documented the detrimental effects that the slave trades had on the institutions and structures of African societies. (...)
In a recent paper, I explore empirically whether these detrimental effects of the slave trades can explain part of Africa's current underdevelopment.1 I do this by first constructing estimates of the number of slaves taken from each country in Africa between 1400 and 1900. The estimates are constructed by combining data of the number of slaves shipped from each African port or region with data from historical documents reporting the ethnic identities of slaves taken from Africa.
In a recent paper, I explore empirically whether these detrimental effects of the slave trades can explain part of Africa's current underdevelopment.1 I do this by first constructing estimates of the number of slaves taken from each country in Africa between 1400 and 1900. The estimates are constructed by combining data of the number of slaves shipped from each African port or region with data from historical documents reporting the ethnic identities of slaves taken from Africa.
If the slave trades are partly responsible for Africa's current underdevelopment, then looking across countries within Africa, one should observe that the parts of Africa that are the poorest today are also the areas from which the largest number of slaves were taken in the past. My research shows that this is indeed the case. (...)
An alternative explanation for the relationship is that the parts of Africa from which the largest number of slaves were taken were initially the most underdeveloped. Today, because these characteristics persist, these parts of Africa continue to be underdeveloped and poor. My research examines this alternative hypothesis by testing whether it was in fact the initially least developed parts of Africa that engaged most heavily in the slave trades. I find that the data and the historical evidence suggest that, if anything, it was the parts of Africa that were initially the most developed, not least developed, that supplied the largest number of slaves. (...)
An alternative explanation for the relationship is that the parts of Africa from which the largest number of slaves were taken were initially the most underdeveloped. Today, because these characteristics persist, these parts of Africa continue to be underdeveloped and poor. My research examines this alternative hypothesis by testing whether it was in fact the initially least developed parts of Africa that engaged most heavily in the slave trades. I find that the data and the historical evidence suggest that, if anything, it was the parts of Africa that were initially the most developed, not least developed, that supplied the largest number of slaves. (...)
1 comment:
Se nós realizarmos um gráfico entre o consumo de tabaco e a esperança média de vida, no periodo 1900-2000, concluímos que o consumo de tabaco faz aumentar a esperança média de vida. E o coeficiente de correlação é muito elevado, o que não acontece com o exemplo deste artigo que cita.
A artigo apresenta apenas uma tese desculpabilizante para as elites africanas da desgraça que sucede em África.
No entanto existe uma relação que talvez justifique o subdesenvolvimento africano. Em muitos casos, os actuais governantes africanos são os descendentes dos chefes tribais que entre o séc XV e XIX organizavam as razias e vendiam os escravos capturados aos negreiros europeus.
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