Pre-colonial centralisation, traditional indirect rule, and state capacity in Africa

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelfagfællebedømt

  • Christoffer Cappelen
  • Jason Sorens
What explains contemporary variation in state capacity across African states? Recent research has focused on the possible role played by colonial and pre-colonial institutions. This paper investigates the way in which colonial and pre-colonial institutions interacted to affect the public legitimacy and coercive capacity of African states on independence. A coherent configuration of historical institutions, pre-colonial centralisation combined with colonial indirect rule through traditionally legitimate rulers, contrasts with the incoherent and comparatively illegitimate configurations of pre-colonial decentralisation with traditional rule and pre-colonial centralisation with colonial non-traditional or direct rule. The paper tests the theoretical expectations in a historical instrumental-variables framework.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftCommonwealth and Comparative Politics
Vol/bind56
Udgave nummer2
Sider (fra-til)195-215
ISSN1466-2043
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2018

ID: 210197791