Work

Colonialism and Development: A Comparative Analysis of Spanish and British Colonies

Year: 2006

Type: article

Abstract: Recent research shows that colonialism reversed levels of development in much of the non‐European world. To explain this reversal, analysts focus on conditions within the colonized areas. By contrast, drawing on evidence from Spanish and British colonialism, the authors show that the economic models of the colonizing nations also affected the reversals of fortune. Mercantilist Spain tended to colonize most extensively precolonial regions that were populous and highly developed; in turn, extensive Spanish colonization had negative consequences for postcolonial development. In comparison, liberal Britain tended to colonize most extensively precolonial regions that were sparsely populated and underdeveloped; in turn, extensive British colonialism had comparatively positive effects. Thus, both Spain and Britain reversed the fortunes of precolonial regions, but in largely opposite ways.

Source: American Journal of Sociology

DOI: 10.1086/499510

Authors: Matthew Lange, James Mahoney, Matthias vom Hau

Institutions: McGill University, Northwestern University, Brown University

Language: English

Topic: Culture, Economy, and Development Studies

Subfield: Development

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Science Foundation

Award: CAREER: Long-Run Development and the Legacy of Spanish Colonialism in Latin America