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Obstacles to progress

Distortions

missionaries actively changed sexual behaviours (Vaughan 2007, Doyle 2013,
Mantovanelli 2014).

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We show that the net effect of proximity to historical mission settlements on HIV

prevalence is negative. ... regions far from missions tend to have less HIV prevalence
today. This general correlation cannot be fully captured by the fact that missions tend to

be located in what are today more densely populated areas, or by any other geographical
determinant of missionary activity. However, this negative effect can be captured by
negative perceptions of condom use and contraception. Among regions historically close

to missionary settlements, proximity to a health investment is associated with lower
prevalence rates, more acceptance of contraception, and lower exposure to risky

behaviours, such as buying the services of sex workers. “
"The devil is in the detail: Christian missions' heterogeneous effects on
development in sub-Saharan Africa" 352
VOX, CEPR Policy Portal." (March 2017)

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“ Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than two thirds of the world's HIV infections. In
this paper,we provide new empirical evidence on the long-term effects of missionary
activities in sub-Saharan Africa. We highlight two possible countervailing effects of

missions on HIV prevalence. On the one hand, their early investments in health facilities
have a positive long-term impact on HIV prevalence, through the persistence of

infrastructure and safer sexual behaviors.
On the other hand, missionaries left a profound cultural imprint, conversion to
Christianity, which increased the risk of contagion by changing family structures and

increasing exposure to religious institutions that have struggled to effectively address
the epidemic.”

"Sex and the Mission: The Conflicting Effects of Early Christian Missions
on HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa." 353
Cagé, Julia, and Valeria Rueda.
Journal of Demographic Economics 86, no. 3 (September 2020): 213–57.

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“ Missionary educational investments in colonial Africa have also been shown to
persistently affect post-independence political elite-formation. Ricart-Huguet (2019)
shows that the uneven supply of primary education across colonial African districts