Population Increase and the End of Colonialism Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Between 1946 and 1976, the European powers granted independence to all of their large colonies in Africa and Southeast Asia. This paper attempts to provide an economic explanation for this remarkable ending to the era of colonialism. The main theoretical innovation is to consider the effect of population increase on the allocation of time by the indigenous population between productive and subversive activities. The analysis suggests that the increase in population during the colonial period increased the potential private return to subversive activity until the colonies became a net burden on the metropolitan governments. It also suggests that there was less subversive activity in colonies in which the market for indigenous labour was monopsonized because monopsonistic employers internalized the potential negative effect of subversive activity on net profits.

publication date

  • August 1, 1997

has restriction

  • closed

Date in CU Experts

  • July 8, 2014 12:41 PM

Full Author List

  • Grossman HI; Iyigun MF

author count

  • 2

Other Profiles

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0013-0427

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1468-0335

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 483

end page

  • 493

volume

  • 64

issue

  • 255