Numeracy development in Africa: New evidence from a long-term perspective (1730?1970)

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cappelli, Gabriele; Baten, Joerg
• 署名单位: University of Siena; Eberhard Karls University of Tubingen; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102630
• 发表日期: 2021
• 关键词: Human capital; AFRICA; Colonial education systems; numeracy; HISTORY

摘要

Historical evidence of numeracy on the African continent since the 18th century is presented for the first time based on a panel dataset of 43 African countries covering the periods before, during and after colonialism (1730?1970). Estimates of numeracy draw on the age-heaping methodology: we carefully discuss the potential biases and sources of measurement error concerning the use of this index for long-term analyses. These new estimates enable us to gain a better understanding of long-term African development. We find that the evolution of numeracy over time correlates with differences in colonial education systems, even when controlling for other variables.