Ali, Merima,Odd‐Helge Fjeldstad and Abdulaziz B. Shifa. "European colonization and the corruption of local elites: The case of chiefs in Africa." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 179 (2020): 80-100.

The paper focuses on the legacy of British and French colonial rule on the corruption of local elites (chiefs) in Africa through a comparative analysis of levels of corruption among local elites (chiefs) in anglophone and francophone Africa. The study concludes that the level of corruption among local elites in anglophone countries was slightly higher than in francophone countries and chiefs in anglophone countries command a significantly lower level of public trust. The authors point to the British style of colonization(indirect rule) which may have contributed to the corrupt nature of local elite(chiefs) in some African countries. This system offered chiefs more autonomy, weakened the pre-existing local mechanisms of checks and balances and made them less accountable to their local communities rather accountable to their colonial masters. This meant they could abuse their power. In the long run, the formal legal system introduced by the central state had limited relevance to much of the population in anglophone countries. The French style of colonial rule on the other hand, undermined the power and autonomy of chiefs over the local population. Chiefs were stripped of their power to appoint sub-chiefs or handle legal matters. This limitation meant chiefs in francophone countries could not afford local patronage nor abuse power.