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Empires in Trade: Colonial Legacies in France, the United Kingdom, and Their Former Colonies

Lidén, Ellen LU and André, Hugo LU (2026) NEKH03 20252
Department of Economics
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to analyse to what extent colonial trade patterns persist in former
British and French colonies in Southeast Asia and West Africa, and how these effects differ
between colonial powers and regions. The study combines a historic perspective combined
with an empirical analysis of bilateral trade flows between France, the United Kingdom, and
their former colonies over the period 1985-2023. The study estimates a log-linear gravity
model to examine the relationship between colonial ties, economic size, geographic distance,
and linguistic ties to are included to capture long-term trade relations.
The results show that colonial trade relations are both statistically and economically
significant, long after... (More)
The purpose of this thesis is to analyse to what extent colonial trade patterns persist in former
British and French colonies in Southeast Asia and West Africa, and how these effects differ
between colonial powers and regions. The study combines a historic perspective combined
with an empirical analysis of bilateral trade flows between France, the United Kingdom, and
their former colonies over the period 1985-2023. The study estimates a log-linear gravity
model to examine the relationship between colonial ties, economic size, geographic distance,
and linguistic ties to are included to capture long-term trade relations.
The results show that colonial trade relations are both statistically and economically
significant, long after decolonisation. The effects do, however, vary between colonial powers:
France exhibits a stronger and more persistent trade tie with its former colonies than the
United Kingdom does. There is no robust support for systematic differences in colonial trade
patterns between Southeast Asia and West Africa. Altogether, the study indicates that the
institutional and administrative legacy of colonial powers plays a larger role in the long-term
structure of trade than regional differences do. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Lidén, Ellen LU and André, Hugo LU
supervisor
organization
course
NEKH03 20252
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Trade, Colonialism, Empires, Gravity, Bilateral Trade Flows
language
English
id
9220282
date added to LUP
2026-02-04 08:25:24
date last changed
2026-02-04 08:25:24
@misc{9220282,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this thesis is to analyse to what extent colonial trade patterns persist in former
British and French colonies in Southeast Asia and West Africa, and how these effects differ
between colonial powers and regions. The study combines a historic perspective combined
with an empirical analysis of bilateral trade flows between France, the United Kingdom, and
their former colonies over the period 1985-2023. The study estimates a log-linear gravity
model to examine the relationship between colonial ties, economic size, geographic distance,
and linguistic ties to are included to capture long-term trade relations.
The results show that colonial trade relations are both statistically and economically
significant, long after decolonisation. The effects do, however, vary between colonial powers:
France exhibits a stronger and more persistent trade tie with its former colonies than the
United Kingdom does. There is no robust support for systematic differences in colonial trade
patterns between Southeast Asia and West Africa. Altogether, the study indicates that the
institutional and administrative legacy of colonial powers plays a larger role in the long-term
structure of trade than regional differences do.}},
  author       = {{Lidén, Ellen and André, Hugo}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Empires in Trade: Colonial Legacies in France, the United Kingdom, and Their Former Colonies}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}