GraSPP Research Seminar
In this study, the authors introduce the Atlas of Colonial Capitalism, documenting the pervasive role of private concessionary companies in Sub-Saharan Africa from the Scramble for Africa to independence. They show that African colonization was often a bottom-up process, driven by private investors seeking profit opportunities. Drawing on archival material, administrative records, company reports, maps, and secondary sources, they assemble a georeferenced dataset covering more than 2,000 companies in 42 Sub-Saharan African countries. The concessionary paradigm was widespread across colonial powers and over time, yet highly heterogeneous in scale, sector, violence, extraction, and investment. Decomposing the drivers of concessionary activity and corporate practices reveals the importance of colonial powers, ethnic attributes, disease environment, and product characteristics. The authors then link historical concession exposure and company practices to contemporary local and regional outcomes to trace the long-run legacy of private colonial rule. The study offers a new framework for understanding the evolution of colonial business making in Africa and its enduring imprint on economic development.
Date & Time:
16:00-17:45, Thursday, July 16, 2026
*The seminar will be held online*
Speaker:
Stelios Michalopoulos Eastman Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Economics at Brown University
Coordinator: Dr. Stacey H. Chen (GraSPP, UTokyo)
Registration:
Pre-registration is required: Registration Form