Colonial Origins of Comparative Development
Book •
The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development is an influential academic article by Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson that links historical colonial institutions to modern economic performance.
Using settler mortality as an instrument, the study argues that areas where Europeans settled developed inclusive institutions, while others faced extractive institutions, producing divergent development trajectories.
The work propelled a large literature on institutions and development and influenced policy and academic debates.
Critics argue it downplays global relationships, extraction, and the violence underpinning inclusive institutions, and that it treats institutions largely as internal to countries.
The study remains central in mainstream institutional economics but is contested by scholars emphasizing colonialism and unequal global structures.
Using settler mortality as an instrument, the study argues that areas where Europeans settled developed inclusive institutions, while others faced extractive institutions, producing divergent development trajectories.
The work propelled a large literature on institutions and development and influenced policy and academic debates.
Critics argue it downplays global relationships, extraction, and the violence underpinning inclusive institutions, and that it treats institutions largely as internal to countries.
The study remains central in mainstream institutional economics but is contested by scholars emphasizing colonialism and unequal global structures.
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Ingrid Parvold Kvangraven
Devika Dutt et al., "Decolonizing Economics: An Introduction" (Polity Press, 2025)
