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Book Launch Event: African Economic Development - Evidence, Theory, Policy

Speakers: Chris Cramer, John Sender and Arkebe Oqubay
Discussant: Lumkile Mondi


This book challenges conventional wisdoms about economic performance and possible policies for economic development in African countries. Its starting point is the striking variation in African economic performance.

Unevenness and inequalities form a central fact of African economic experiences. The authors highlight not only differences between countries, but also variations within countries, differences often organised around distinctions of gender, class, and ethnic identity.

These variations (and many others) point to opportunities for changing performance, reducing inequalities, learning from other policy experiences, and escaping the ties of structure, and the legacies of a colonial past. This study rejects teleological illusions and Eurocentric prejudice, but it does pay close attention to the results of policy in more industrialized parts of the world. Seeing the contradictions of capitalism for what they are – fundamental and enduring – may help policy officials protect themselves against the misleading idea that development can be expected to be a smooth, linear process, or that it would be were certain impediments suddenly removed.

The authors criticize a wide range of orthodox and heterodox economists, especially for their cavalier attitude to evidence. Drawing on their own decades of research and policy experience, they combine careful use of available evidence from a range of African countries with political economy insights to make the policy case for specific types of public sector investment.

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About the APORDE programme: APORDE is a two-week high-level annual seminar that brings together academics, policy-makers and civil society representatives to investigate economic development options. It is aimed at building capacity in the South, particularly in Africa and founded on the need to broaden perspectives on development thinking and policymaking.

Sep 1, 2020 02:30 PM in Johannesburg