The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa
by Nathan Nunn, Leonard Wantchekon NBER
Abstract:
We investigate the historical origins of mistrust within Africa. Combining contemporary household survey data with historic data on slave shipments, we show that individuals whose ancestors were heavily raided during the slave trade today exhibit less trust in neighbors, relatives, and their local government. We confirm that the relationship is causal by using the historic distance from the coast of a respondent’s ancestors as an instrument for the intensity of the slave trade, while controlling for the individual’s current distance from the coast. We undertake a number of falsification tests, all of which suggest that the necessary exclusion restriction is satisfied. Exploiting variation among individuals who live in locations different from their ancestors, we show that most of the impact of the slave trade works through factors that are internal to the individual, such as cultural norms, beliefs, and values.
Dang blockquotes :-(
sounds like a very imprecise and dodgy instrument to me. Slave raids were not uniform along the coast, and there was a difference between the Western powers shopping for slaves and the Arabs, who were at it for much longer. Some coastal communities actively participated (after all, if you’re a slave trader, its easier to let the locals do the hard bit than venture yourself into malaria-infested hostile territory). This instrument is thus riddled with measurement error. Makes a good story and might even be well-published, but no one reasonable should buy it.