Colonial Legacy, State-building and the Salience of Ethnicity in Sub-Saharan Africa
研究发现，英国殖民统治下的撒哈拉以南非洲国家，公民更倾向于以族群而非国家身份认同，且国家能力较弱，这源于殖民遗产对国家建设的影响。
African colonial history suggests that British colonial rule may have undermined state centralisation \ndue to legacies of ethnic segregation and stronger executive constraints. Using micro-data from \nanglophone and francophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa, we find that anglophone citizens are \nless likely to identify themselves in national terms (relative to ethnic terms). To address endogeneity \nconcerns, we utilise regression discontinuity by focusing on observations near anglophone– \nfrancophone borders, both across countries and within Cameroon. Evidence on taxation, security \nand the power of chiefs also suggests weaker state capacity in anglophone countries. These results \nhighlight the legacy of colonial rule on state-building.