Periodic Reporting for period 4 - COLSOC (The Legacy of Colonialism: Origins and Outcomes of Social Protection)
Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2024-03-31
Social protection has been one of the most popular instruments for promoting human development across the globe. However, the great majority of the global population is not or only partly covered by social protection. Especially in developing countries it is often the very poorest who do not receive essential social benefits. This is highly problematic since inclusive social protection is assumed to be a key factor for national productivity, global economic growth and domestic stability. Social protection in many developing countries can be traced back to colonial times. Surprisingly, the influence of colonialism has been a blind spot for existing theories and empirical studies of comparative social policy. Hence, the main objective of this project is to systematically understand how colonialism has shaped the remarkable differences in social protection and its postcolonial outcomes. As a result of this project, we have compiled the Comparative Social Protection Dataset which is to include novel historical data on social protection and policy-relevant actors in colonial Africa, in particular for British and French colonies. For the purpose of primary data collection, we relied on official and other statistical publications that we accessed through a variety of archives. For several indicators, we can draw on available secondary data sources. With regards to policy-relevant actors, data on economic actors has and data on missions and trade unions has been collected. Furthermore, we conducted case studies in four former colonies (two French and two British ones) and elucidated the causal mechanisms that link colonialism to social protection. Overall, our results show that the colonial legacy play an important role for early and contemporary social policies and shed light on the conditions under which social protection is expanding in the developing world today.
Most of the work carried out in the last 24 months of the project has been concerned with the implementation of the case studies and further quantitative analyses. The case studies and quantitative analyses are based on the actor-centred approach which was developed in the first phase of the project, and which served as a theoretical and conceptual framework for COLSOC. We have constructed a new database which includes novel historical data on social protection and policy-relevant actors in colonial Africa, in particular for British and French colonies during the interwar period (1919-1939). For the purpose of primary data collection, we rely on official and other statistical publications that we accessed through a variety of archives. The collection and standardization of government expenditures figures is the most novel aspect of the collected data. With regards to policy-relevant actors, data on economic actors and data on missions and trade unions has been collected. The dataset is publicly available and makes a major contribution to the state of the art. Furthermore, we conducted four case studies in two former French (Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal) and two former British colonies (British Cameroon, to reveal the causal links between colonialism and social protection empirical analyses to analyze the role of economic actors for social policy making. Our empirical results strongly support the hypothesis that economic actors were push factors for implementing and expanding social policies in the interwar period. We also find evidence that missions and military were important actors for social policies during that time. Our results suggest that similar mechanisms are at play within the two empires. However, differences between them can be identified when it comes to the design of social policies which persist until today. Overall, we find that colonial governance took place within and between nation states and territories and was shaped by global norms and standards. These governance arrangements survived the decline of colonial empires and in many cases, independence did not lead to an exclusively domestic mode of governance, and many elements of colonial governance models remained in place.
The main results so far, i.e. compilation of a new data set, elaboration of a new theoretical framework, the quantitative analyses as well as the case studies all go beyond the state of the art. With this project, we have delivered the following enduring benefits: First, we provided an explanation of the origins and outcomes of social protection in countries which were formerly colonized territories. This helps to overcome the bias of comparative social policy research towards rich democracies and to fill a central theoretical and empirical void in the literature. Systematically integrating colonialism into the analysis of social protection, as we have done within this project, facilitates a deeper understanding of social policy in developing countries which is a prerequisite in informing the contemporary struggle against poverty and social inequality especially in the poorest nations of the world. Second, we have published the ‘Comparative Social Protection Dataset’, which offers a broad database on the development of social protection in former colonies. The Comparative Social Protection Dataset makes a major contribution to the state of the art and allows broad historical analyses on the origins and outcomes of social protection. In sum, the theoretical and empirical enhancement this project aims helps the policy community to understand the conditions under which social protection is expanding in the developing world today and how they would need to be adjusted to be effective instruments for promoting human development and a more egalitarian inclusive society in the future.