The erosion of colonial trade linkages after independence

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Head, Keith; Mayer, Thierry; Ries, John
• 署名单位: University of British Columbia
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-1996
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2010.01.002
• 发表日期: 2010
• 页码: 1-14
• 关键词: trade; gravity; colonies

摘要

Most independent nations today were part of empires in 1945. Using bilateral trade data from 1948 to 2006, we examine the effect of independence on post-colonial trade. While there is little short-run effect on trade, after four decades trade with the metropole (colonizer) has contracted by about 65%. Hostile separations lead to large, immediate reductions in trade. We also find that trade between former colonies of the same empire erodes as much as trade with the metropole, whereas trade with third countries decreases about 20%. The gradual trade deterioration following independence suggests the depreciation of some form of trading capital. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.