Essays in economic history and long-run development in developing countries

This dissertation contains three essays in economic history and development economics, focusing on the long-term effects of historical events and policies on inequality, human capital, and educational outcomes in developing countries. Chapter 1 studies the long-term effects of colonial land grants on current agricultural land distribution and development across Brazilian municipalities. Using a novel dataset that I collected of 3,577 grants from Brazil’s Northeast and Southeast regions, along with historical and modern census data, I find that these grants are associated with increased land concentration—showing a 2-8\% increase in large farm holdings in 1920 and 1995. Municipalities with land grants exhibit higher modern GDP per capita and HDI but also greater income inequality, more land conflicts, and less land utilization. The research highlights the complex relationship between inequality and development in Brazil, which was shaped by its colonial institutions. Chapter 2 examines the Jesuit missions' long-term impact on human capital and development in the Brazilian Amazon. Using Brazilian census data from 1872 and 2010 combined with a novel dataset on the location of Jesuit missions in the Brazilian Amazon, I find that places closer to the former missions had higher literacy rates in both periods. Further, I use an instrumental variable approach that considers the locations of Tupi-speaking tribes in the region and compare the impacts of the Jesuits against other missionary orders. Using microcensus data, the results indicate that the effects have persisted through 1970-2010. Chapter 3 evaluates the impact of early life exposure to mother-tongue Bible translations in the 1980s on adult educational outcomes. We analyze data from a sample of approximately 75,000 adults in the Demographic and Health Surveys in 13 sub-Saharan African countries. Our difference-in-differences strategy compares educational outcomes within and across ethno-linguistic groups and accounts for the differential timing of Bible translations and trends in outcomes over time. Individuals born ten years after the first-known Bible translation for their ethno-linguistic group have an 11 percentage point increase in the likelihood of being literate as adults, a gain of 1.2 years of education, and a 17 percentage point gain in the likelihood of completing primary school. Effects do not vary greatly by gender or by regional prevalence of Muslim faith. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying our results, finding evidence of the potential importance of complementarities with inputs concentrated around historical missions. Overall, these essays shed light on the long-term effects of historical events and policies on inequality, human capital, and educational outcomes in developing countries. They highlight the importance of understanding the historical context to inform current development policies and interventions.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Economics

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Okada Da Silva, Vinicius

Contributors dc:contributor

• Akresh, Richard
• Arends-Kuenning, Mary
• Kleemans, Marike
• Valencia Caicedo, Felipe

• Economics History
• Long-run Development
• Developing Countries
• Brazil
• Sub-saharan Africa

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Vinicius Okada Da Silva

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129838

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129838