Pre-Colonial Warfare and Long-Run Development in India

Abstract

Does pre-colonial history – and in particular the role of interstate warfare – help explain long-run development patterns across India? To address this question, we construct a new geocoded database of historical conflicts on the Indian subcontinent. We document a robust positive relationship between pre-colonial conflict exposure and local economic development today. Drawing on archival and secondary data, we show that districts that were more exposed to precolonial conflict experienced greater early state-making, followed by lower political violence and higher investments in physical and human capital in the long term.

Keywords: Warfare, Economic Development, State Capacity, Public Goods, India, History

JEL Classification: N45, O11, P48, H11