Alexander Moradi

Towards an Objective Account of Nutrition and Health in Colonial Kenya: A Study of Stature in African Army Recruits and Civilians, 1880–1980

How well did Kenyans do under colonial rule? It is common sense that Kenyans suffered under exploitative colonial policies. The overall impact, however, is uncertain. This study presents fresh evidence on nutrition and health in colonial Kenya by (1) using a new and comprehensive data set of African army recruits and civilians and (2) applying a powerful measure of nutritional status: mean population height. Findings demonstrate huge regional inequalities but only minor changes in the mean height of cohorts born 20 years before and after colonisation. From 1920 onwards secular improvements took place which continued after Independence. It can be concluded that however bad colonial policies and devastating short term crises were, the net outcome of colonial times was a significant progress in nutrition and health.

The permanent effects of transportation revolutions in poor countries: evidence from Africa

We exploit the construction and eventual demise of the colonial railroads in Ghana, and most of the rest of Africa, to study the impact of transportation investments in poor countries. Using new data on railroads and cities spanning over one century, we find that railroads had large effects on the distribution of economic activity during the colonial period and these effects have persisted to date, although railroads collapsed and road networks expanded considerably after independence. Initial transportation investments may thus have large effects in poor countries. As countries develop, increasing returns solidify their spatial distribution, and subsequent investments may have smaller effects.

Borders That Divide: Education and Religion in Ghana and Togo Since Colonial Times

The partition of German Togoland after World War I provides a natural experiment to test the impact of British and French colonization. Using data of recruits to the Ghanaian colonial army 1908–1955, we find that literacy and religious affiliation diverge at the border between the parts of Togoland under British and French control as early as in the 1920s. We partly attribute this to policies towards missionary schools. The divergence is only visible in the South where educational and evangelization efforts were strong. Contemporary survey data show that border effects that began in colonial times still persist today.

History, path dependence and development: evidence from colonial railroads, settlers and cities in Kenya

Little is known about the extent and forces of urban path dependence in developing countries. Railroad construction in colonial Kenya provides a natural experiment to study the emergence and persistence of this spatial equilibrium. Using new data at a fine spatial level over one century shows that colonial railroads causally determined the location of European settlers, which in turn decided the location of the main cities of the country at independence. Railroads declined and settlers left after independence, yet cities persisted. Their early emergence served as a mechanism to coordinate investments in the post-independence period, yielding evidence for how path dependence influences development.

Referral and Job Performance: Evidence from the Ghana Colonial Army

Employee referral is often thought to exist because it conveys positive information about unobserved worker quality or helps in monitoring workers. Using data compiled from army archives, we test whether the referral system in use in the British colonial army in Ghana is associated with higher quality or effort of new recruits. We find that it was not: referred recruits were more likely than unreferred recruits to desert or be dismissed as “inefficient” or “unfit” or for “misconduct.” We find instead evidence of referee opportunism. The fact that referred recruits have better observed characteristics at the time of recruitment suggests that army recruiters may have been aware of this problem and sought to compensate for lower-than-average unobserved quality.

Climate, height and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Environmental conditions leave an imprint in the human body. The physical development of children is enhanced by a healthy environment, including high-quality nutrition in sufficient quantities. Deprivation, in contrast, stunts body growth. As a consequence, children suffering from chronic malnutrition fall short of their genetic growth potential and, on average, become shorter adults. This will reflect in a population’s mean height. Insofar as nutrition and health are correlated with income, heights should be correlated with income. Numerous articles found richer individuals on average taller than the poor. One would expect to find the same relationship at country level.

First International Conference on Economics and Human Biology

Organized by Joerg Baten (University of Tuebingen) and John Komlos (University of Munich) and financially supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG), the conference was held at the medieval castle Hohentuebingen which is located on a steep hill in the center of the old university town of Tuebingen, southern Germany. The participants came from more than 20 nations and from various disciplines, such as: economic history, transition and development economics, anthropology, demography, nutritional science, public health and sociology. In particular, links between economic processes and human physiology – historically and contemporarily, covering all (inhabited) continents – were the center of attention. Here, we provide a short overview on some of the presentations given at the conference, without mentioning all contributions due to space considerations.