The influence of colonialism on Africa's welfare: An anthropometric study

•Africans lost stature upon colonization, by more than 1.1 centimeters.•Both settler and peasant export colonies had an adverse impact on native African heights during the colonization period.•Heights in colonial Africa declined due to land grabbing, forced labour,conflicts, and disease. This study...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Comparative Economics 2021-09, Vol.49 (3), p.751-775
Main Authors: Baten, Joerg, Maravall, Laura
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:•Africans lost stature upon colonization, by more than 1.1 centimeters.•Both settler and peasant export colonies had an adverse impact on native African heights during the colonization period.•Heights in colonial Africa declined due to land grabbing, forced labour,conflicts, and disease. This study presents new evidence on the anthropometric development of 47 countries. Did colonialism have an influence on the biological standard of living of Africans? We find that Africans lost stature upon colonization, even after controlling for a number of different variables and potential sample selectivity bias issues. We analyse various types of colonialism and find that both settler colonies and other colonies had an adverse effect on native African heights during the colonialization period.
ISSN:0147-5967
1095-7227
DOI:10.1016/j.jce.2021.01.001