Social Mobility among Christian Africans: Evidence from Ugandan Marriage Registers 1895-2011

Felix Meier zu Selhausen (), Marco H.D. van Leeuwen and Jacob Weisdorf
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Marco H.D. van Leeuwen: Utrecht University

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: We use marriage registers from colonial and post-colonial Uganda to investigate long-term trends in social mobility among Christian Africans, finding a stark contrast to the pessimistic view that colonialism retarded Africa. Colonial influences in Uganda brought much greater and more equal opportunities for social advancement than in pre-colonial times. The colonial labour market was the main ladder for upward mobility, and the mission society helped provide the education and social reference needed to climb it. We find no “buffer zone” preventing sons of blue-collar descent from entering into white-collar work. The patterns continued throughout the post-colonial era despite political turmoil.

Keywords: Africa; Colonialism; Labour History; HISCO; Missionaries; Uganda; Social Mobility JEL Classification: J62; N27; O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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