State And Economic Development In Africa

When the state and business interact effectively they can promote a more efficient allocation of scarce resources, appropriate industrial policy and a more effective and prioritised removal of key obstacles to growth, than when the two sides fail to co-operate or engage in harmful collusion. This book, based on original empirical research undertaken in Africa and India, addresses what constitutes the effectiveness of state-business relations, what explains their formation and evolution over time and whether effective state-business relations matter for economic performance. Analysing the effects of state-business relations on economic performance at both the macro and micro levels, the book concludes that where effective state-business relations are established – either through formal or informal institutional patterns and relationships – the growth effects are generally positive. Establishing, sustaining and renewing effective state-business relations are political processes. The better organized the business community and the government are for purposes of such relations, the more effective state-business relations will be in negotiating growth enhancing policies. The book is of interest to researchers in the fields of development studies, management, economics and political science.

Englebert argues that differences in economic performance both within Africa and across the developing world can be linked to differences in historical state legitimacy.

This volume is a collection of selected empirical studies on determinants of economic growth in Africa. Grouped into three parts, chapters examine the influence of financial sources and economic growth; sources of productivity growth; and prices, exchange rates and trade relationships with growth in regions in Africa or the continent as a whole. This edited book is authored by African experts in the field who employ diverse up-to-date data and methods to provide robust empirical results based on representative firms, household surveys and secondary country level data covering individuals or multiple countries on the continent. It contains a wealth of empirical evidence, deep analyses and sound recommendations for policymakers and researchers for designing and implementing effective social and national policies and strategies to prevent and to reduce poverty and its negative effects on poor households and in poor regions. The volume will be a useful resource for policymakers and researchers involved in promoting economic growth and fighting poverty. It will also appeal to a broader audience interested in economic development, resource economics, policies, economic welfare and inclusive growth.

This book critically assesses the impact of Ethiopia’s policy of Agriculture Development Led Industrialization. Employing qualitative and quantitative analysis, it presents empirical evidence suggesting persistent economic growth. The research highlights improvements in infrastructure, health care, education, poverty alleviation as well reductions in infant mortality rate. The impact of this economic growth has however had led to only slight improvements in the plight of the poor. The author argues that, while significant steps have been achieved with measurable economic gains, there are still undeniable obstacles within the federal system: prevailing patron-client relationships, constraints on state capacity to efficiently and effectively implement policy, and bureaucratic rent-seeking in the provision of public goods. The author concludes that these problems will have to be resolved before Ethiopia’s political economy can achieve the stage of sustainable development

In recent years, Africa has undergone the longest period of sustained economic growth in the continent’s history, drawing the attention of the international media and academics alike. This book analyses the Africa Rising narrative from multidisciplinary perspectives, offering a critical assessment of the explanations given for the poor economic growth and development performance in Africa prior to the millennium and the dramatic shift towards the new Africa. Bringing in perspectives from African intellectuals and scholars, many of whom have previously been overlooked in this debate, the book examines the construction of Africa’s economic growth and development portraits over the years. It looks at two institutions that play a vital role in African development, providing a detailed explanation of how the World Bank and the IMF have interpreted and dealt with the African challenges and experiences. The insightful analysis reveals that if Africa is rising, only 20-30 per cent of Africans are aboard the rising ship, and the main challenge facing the continent today is to bring on board the majority of Africans who have been excluded from growth. This book makes the complex, and sometimes confusing debates on Africa’s economic growth experience more accessible to a wide range of readers interested in the Africa story. It is essential reading for students and researchers in African Studies, and will be of great interest to scholars in Development Studies, Political Economy, and Development Economics.

Sub-Saharan Africa is at a turning point. The barriers to economic growth seen in the 1980-2000 era are disappearing and new optimism is spreading. However, difficult goals of eliminating poverty, achieving equity and overcoming environmental threats continue. This much-needed and insightful textbook has been written to help us understand this combination of emerging improvements and significant challenges. Opening with an analysis of the main theories relating to development in Sub-Saharan Africa, the book explores all the key issues, including: Human development; Rapid urbanization; Structural and gender dimensions; Sustainable development and environmental issues; and Africa’s role in the world economy. The authors use economic tools and concepts throughout, in a way that makes them accessible to students without an economics background. Readers are also aided by a wide range of case studies, on-the-ground examples and statistical information, which provide a detailed analysis of each topic. This text is also accompanied by an e-resource, featuring additional sources for students and instructors. African Economic Development is a clear and comprehensive textbook suitable for courses on African economic development, development economics, African studies and development studies.

This work goes beyond recent analyses of African development to present a post-dependency framework for the study of Africa's political economy. The author argues that, although the contributions of the modernization and dependency frameworks cannot be ignored, recent economic and political adjustments and realignments require a more penetrating analysis--one that takes into account such factors as the overall growth of the economy, the role of the state, parallel markets, and capitalist development in general. An ideal supplemental text for courses in comparative politics, international political economy, and African development, the volume is comparative in approach and covers the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The author begins by discussing the various dimensions--agricultural, environmental, industrial, population--of Africa's continuing crisis condition. He then closely examines the African development experience since independence and explores the evolution of development theory and its application to Africa. Arguing for a new mode of production approach to the study of Africa's political economy, the author attempts to determine whether Africa is indeed predominantly capitalist and raises questions regarding prevailing theories of capitalist development. Finally, Nyang'oro looks at the state in Africa, pointing to some fundamental weaknesses that contribute to the ongoing crisis and offering a perceptive assessment of development options open to Africa.