Imperial trade and relationships with colonial elites

One explanation for later British imperial educational policy emphasizes relationships between colonial elites and the imperial centre. Sending the children of Indian rulers, and counterparts in Africa, to British schools and universities helped develop cultural and personal connections alongside economic ones. In this interpretation, relationship building was the main purpose, while coercive cultural policies could reflect individual administrators' preferences. The early American colonies had instead been expected to retain their connections without comparable efforts to cultivate them. Weakening ties made a trade system organized around a central English hub harder to sustain.