How Racial Exclusion Affects Subnational Disparities: The Case of Chocó

This chapter shows how the implicit institution of racial exclusionRacial exclusion generated variations in subnational public goodsPublic goods by focusing on the actions of different aggrieved actors locally. That is, the chapter provides empirical evidence of the existence of a causal mechanismMechanism between the informal institution of racial exclusionRacial exclusion and the developmental outcomes of access to public goodsPublic goods in the Colombian region of ChocóChocó. The analysis illustrates that, while some actors reproduce exclusion with negative effects on local access to public goodsPublic goods for the majoritarian Afro-descendant population, other actors resist exclusion. Moreover, such resistance propagates gradual institutional changes with positive effects on subnational developmental outcomes. These findings offer empirical evidence concretely linking the role of actors, their micro-actions of institutional reproduction and change, and the effects of institutionsInstitutions on developmental outcomes.