[PEN-L:26994] Re: colonial development

["Grant Lee" <grantlee@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael:

I haven't read the whole article, but my first reaction is dismay (if not
surprise) at the authors' use of an approach which fails to recognise the
historical diversity and agency of indigenous peoples within the modern
European empires. I thought that "environment" here might be include (in an
archaic style) human populations, but there is not even that modicum of
historical perspective.

>From my own research, I do know that the indigenous populations in Australia
resisted European/capitalist primitive accumulation strenuously and (as in
Europe) obstructed capitalist usage of land by their very presence (see e.g.
NG Butlin 1983, 1993). While I haven't studied the Dutch East Indies and the
Congo in detail, the authors should consider the fact that Africans and
Asians had greater exposure to "European" diseases and they did not
therefore suffer the catastrophic epidemics experience by indigenous peoples
in the Americas and Pacific. In itself, the fact of Africa and Asia being
more densely populated would have to be a strong reason for anticolonial
resistance being stiffer in those places (and the colonial states more
severe).

While I'm no expert on the broad range of postcolonial states, I think it's
tempting but highly dubious to draw conclusions about them based on the
preceding colonial apparatuses rather than contemporaneous societies.

Regards,

Grant.


----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 6:38 PM


> Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson. 2001. "The
> Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical
> Investigation." American Economic Review, 91: 5 (December): pp.
> 1369-1401.
>
> Their basic idea is that colonies were more extractive/less democratic
> when the natural environment led to a higher mortality rate for Europeans.
> The hostile instutional structure carried over into the post colonial
> period, hampering economic growth.
>
> Any thoughts?
>  --
> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> Chico, CA 95929
>
> Tel. 530-898-5321
> E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>