By: Nonso Obikili

Nonso Obikili investigates how the trans-Atlantic slave trade impacted political institutions in precolonial African villages and towns. The study utilizes anthropological data to demonstrate a causal relationship between higher levels of slave exports and increased political fragmentation within ethnic groups. It argues that this fragmentation has long-lasting effects on economic development, as it influences contemporary political institutions. Areas with histories of greater political fragmentation, as indicated by higher precolonial slave trade activity, exhibit higher incidences of bribery in modern Nigeria and Tanzania. This suggests that the slave trade’s legacy includes not only direct economic and demographic impacts but also profound alterations in the political landscape, which continue to affect governance and economic conditions today​