1. A West African experiment: constructing a GDP series for colonial Ghana, 1891-1950.
- Author
-
Jerven, Morten
- Subjects
GHANAIAN economy ,GROSS domestic product ,ECONOMIC development ,POPULATION history ,ECONOMIC change ,HISTORY of economic policy - Abstract
There has been a recent surge in research on long-term African development. For this research agenda to be fruitful and its theories tested, it is crucial to have consistent estimates of economic change. However, there is a lack of reliable time series data for the colonial period in Sub-Saharan Africa. This article contributes new time series data for the Gold Coast and Ghana between 1890 and 2010 and in particular a new GDP time series for Ghana for the years 1891–1957. The series implies a sustained period of economic expansion from the late nineteenth century. This suggests a revision of some prevalent truths about the history of economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, and points the way forward for expanding the database to cover the colonial period for other African economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
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