Browsing by Subject "World system theory"

Despite promises of economic growth and prosperity through international trade, a continued divergence in national incomes demonstrates the continuously rising inequality between countries of the Global North and South. While many studies have attributed factors such as availability of capital resources and political and economic institutions to the uneven economic development of countries over time, very little has been said about the role of historical relations and colonial legacies in this prevailing state of global (economic) inequality. This thesis aims to shed light at the impact of colonial legacies on economic inequality between countries based on a unique database on forest commodity trade between Germany and Cameroon from 1892 to 2022, derived from the German governments statistical office. The findings of the trade data analysis indicate major structural inequality starting from the period of German colonialism from 1892-1912. The imported forestry commodities benefitted the industrialization and development of the German economy, while the exported commodities mainly served the German community in Cameroon. After the German colonial period, a drastically declining export of forest products demonstrates the changing ownership structures of the colonial plantations into French and British hands as well as the role of political rivalries in the accessibility of colonial markets. From 1950 onwards, timber plank exports appeared as a new commodity, implying an emerging timber processing industry in Cameroon. However, the value of those exports did not exceed the log exports, suggesting the struggle of the local industry to establish itself. After market liberalization in the 1990s, a second attempt at establishing a plank industry succeeded, suggesting a strong role of foreign companies within the industry. Overall, albeit other sectors, such as oil and gas becoming Cameroon’s main export sector over time, the forestry sector clearly remained the dominant German import sector throughout time, suggesting a strong path dependency from colonial times. Through an additional analysis of tracing German financial actors presence through a historical network analysis approach, this thesis further aims to show how historically established structures facilitate the reproduction of colonial relations in economic flows, by arguing that first mover advantages of German companies, made possible through colonial occupation, allowed companies to establish and manifest their position in the forest industry, making it harder for local companies to enter the industry. Albeit the limited sample size, the findings suggest confirming this pattern, as several German financial actors remain in the Cameroonian forestry sector over time. These notably include one of the companies that was a signatory of the treaty establishing German colonial rule in 1884.