Replication Data for: Path to Centralization and Development: Evidence from Siam

This paper investigates the role of colonial pressure on state centralization and its relationship with subsequent development, by analyzing the influence of Western colonial threat on Siam (presently Thailand)’s internal political reform. Unlike other countries in the region, Siam remained independent by adopting geographical administrative boundaries and incorporating its traditional governance structures into a new, centralized governance system. We find that the order in which areas were integrated into the centralized system depended on the interaction between pre-centralization political structures and proximity to British and French territorial claims. We then show that areas centralized earlier had higher levels of infrastructure investment and public goods provision at the time the centralization process was completed in 1915. Finally, we show that early centralization during the Western colonial era continues to be strongly associated with higher levels of public goods provision and economic development, and that this relationship continues to persist today.