How does colonialism shape today's development challenges? (Shailaja Fennell & Jason Hickel)

Colonialism forms at least some part of the history of almost every developing economy in the world today. Though this is widely recognised, in the discussion of economic development it is sometimes treated as an aside; an auxiliary explanation tacked on when general models are applied to specific countries. The purpose of this event then is to discuss countries' colonial experiences as more than a historical footnote with regard to their development. It is to think systematically about how the imposition of colonial rule still affects aspects of a society's politics, institutions and economic outcomes, and in doing so to help better understand the challenges faced by modern developing economies.

Dr Shailaja Fennell is a fellow of Jesus College Cambridge and a lecturer in development studies. She coordinates papers on Institutions and Development as well as the comparative development of India and China. She was also awarded funding from the UK-India Education Research Initiative and has conducted research in a breadth of areas including the development implications of legal institutional change, agricultural changes in India and China, gender, education and ethnicity to name but a few.

Dr Jason Hickel is an LSE Fellow, a policy consultant on African affairs and economic development and writes regularly in the press including the Guardian and Al Jazeera. His book, "Democracy as Death: The Moral Order of Anti-Liberal Politics in South Africa" explores how liberal values are received in areas of South Africa and his publications cover topics including poverty, neoliberalism, resource economics and global aid.

This lecture was recorded on 16th November 2016 at Mill Lane Lecture Rooms, University of Cambridge.

Want to find out more?

And of course you can also subscribe to our YouTube channel!

[kanchhediachamaar]

This is addressed to Professor Fennel. Isn't having the entire sector of the modern economy in India, including all those in higher echelons of not just the corporate sector, but also bureaucracy controlled by English speaking Indians effectively outsourcing all policy decisions to the West? There isn't an idea in what passes for the mind of English speaking Indians that wasn't put there by their colonial masters.