The Dynamics of Identity in Determining French Bilateral Aid: An Empirical Study of Colonialism and Françafrique

Abstract

In 2013, France sent more than $3 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the African continent. The biggest aid recipients were Senegal and Morocco, both former members of the short-lived French Union. Senegal was fully colonized in nineteenth century, and Morocco was established as a protectorate in 1912. Although Senegal was an outlier in French West Africa because of the status of the originaires as French citizens in the Four Communes, it lacked full sovereignty until 1960. On the other hand, France was not the sovereign entity in Morocco due to the preexisting legitimacy of the sultan’s rule. This discrimination continued during the French Union as colonies (both old and new), protectorates, and mandates had varying numbers of representation based on their assigned roles. Although official colonization ended over fifty years ago, the presence of the French, through Françafrique, has remained. Françafrique is the post-colonial French policy in Africa that included a mix of covert and official networks between French and African actors. Under the guise of Françafrique, France has frequently led military interventions and upheld specific monetary agreements with the CFA Zone. Françafrique has varied based on the acceptance of African heads of state. Because of this, variation in French identity can be observed through the channels of Françafrique. In this thesis, I argue that levels of “Frenchness,” an index composed from the remnants of identity from colonialism and Françafrique, determine French bilateral aid allocations to former colonies in Africa.