Democracy, colonization, and human capital in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This article examines an empirical anomaly. In most developing regions, poor democratic nations enroll more primamy school students than thier authoritarian counterparts. Regime type, however, cannot account for the wide variance in enrollment in Africa. This study demonstrates that colonial heritage is a good predictor of primary school enrollment for low-income countries in Africa. Additional analysis shows that colonization;s impact on education has not diminished since independence. Rather, the initial differences in enrollment between the former French and British colonies have grown over time. The results hold important implications for the study of political institutions and their impact economic development. Even after they no longer exist, polotics institutions can have susbstantial lingering effects on important developmental outcomes.