Since the early 1980s the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa embarked on the implementation of IMF/World Bank designed 'structural adjustment programmes' (SAPs). This paper examines the... Show moreSince the early 1980s the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa embarked on the implementation of IMF/World Bank designed 'structural adjustment programmes' (SAPs). This paper examines the theoretical underpinnings of the SAPs. It shows that IMF policies are based on a theoretical framework that goes back to J.J. Polak's analysis of 1957 which adopted a number of assumptions far removed from economic conditions on the African continent. Focusing on the demand side of the economy, the IMF has neglected another important cause of the financial imbalances in African economies, namely the loss of import capacity and the related reduction in output resulting from external shocks. Furthermore, the IMF policy underestimates the fragmentation of markets and the inflexibilities in African economies. The World Bank policies are based on the Revised Minimum Standard Model that can be traced back to the Harrod-Domar model of the 1940s. A serious shortcoming of the model is that foreign exchange flows are assumed to be fully and automatically used in a productive manner in the recipient country. Another critical shortcoming of the model is the absence of distributional concerns. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
Despite its economic and cultural potential, the Kenya Coast finds itself in a marginal position. This collective volume traces the causes behind this situation and analyses it from different... Show moreDespite its economic and cultural potential, the Kenya Coast finds itself in a marginal position. This collective volume traces the causes behind this situation and analyses it from different angles: political, economic and social. Most of the papers included in this volume were first presented at a workshop in Mombasa in August 1996. Contributions: The Kenya Coast: a regional study, by Dick Foeken, Jan Hoorweg and R.A. Obudho; The Kenya Coast in national perspective, by Henk Meilink; Physical resources and infrastructure, by Dick Foeken; Marine resources, by Peninah Aloo; Current environmental problems, by Mwakio P. Tole; Population dynamics, by John Obwa Wakajummah; Urbanization, by R.A. Obudho; The peoples, by John Middleton; Colonial history, by Frederick Cooper; Contemporary politics, by Thomas P. Wolf; Religion and society, by David C. Sperling; Agriculture, by Henk Waaijenberg; Food marketing, by Tjalling Dijkstra; Industrialization, by Wafula S. Masai; Tourism, by Isaac Sindiga; Employment, by Gerrishon K. Ikiara; The educational marginalisation of coastal Kenya, by Thomas Owen Eisemon; Health and illness, by J. Ties Boerma and F. John Bennett; Food consumption and nutrition, by Wijnand Klaver and Robert Mwadime; Gender issues, by Winnie V. Mitullah; The experience with land settlement, by Jan Hoorweg; Housing, by G.C. Macoloo; Water resources, by George O. Krhoda; Dairy development, by Piet Leegwater and Jan Hoorweg; Port development: growth, competition and revitalization, by Brian Hoyle; Conclusion: culture, resources and development in the Kenya Coast, by Jan Hoorweg, Dick Foeken and R.A. Obudho. Show less
The issue of regional integration has acquired a new relevance and urgency in Africa due to wide-reaching national and global changes. African leaders' commitment to regional economic integration... Show moreThe issue of regional integration has acquired a new relevance and urgency in Africa due to wide-reaching national and global changes. African leaders' commitment to regional economic integration was clearly expressed during the June 1991 OAU summit meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. On that occasion, they signed a treaty to establish an African Economic Community (AEC) by the year 2025. This chapter reviews the various regional integration schemes that came into existence in the aftermath of independence - Union douaniŠre et ‚conomique de l'Afrique centrale (UDEAC), East African Community (EAC), Communaut‚ ‚conomique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CEAO), ECOWAS, Union ‚conomique et mon‚taire ouest-africaine (UEMOA), Economic and Monetary Union of Central Africa (CEMAC), and Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The chapter explains the reasons for the relative failure of these schemes and examines the consequences of Africa's rapidly changing position in the global economy for regional integration. Show less
This contribution to the Africa seminar 'Beyond adjustment', organized by the Directorate General for International Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Maastricht, The... Show moreThis contribution to the Africa seminar 'Beyond adjustment', organized by the Directorate General for International Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Maastricht, The Netherlands, on June 30, 1990, summarizes the distinctive features of the African economic crisis, discusses the relevance of adjustment policies to remedy the crisis situation, and examines how the basic policy objective of 'food security' is affected by the IMF/World Bank structural adjustment programme. In this respect, it is important to observe that IMF/World Bank programmes do not take the purchasing power of different socioeconomic groups into account, while the food supply effect of policy instruments such as devaluation is variable. Show less
This report reviews government policies concerning consumer food prices in Kenya. In respect of official food pricing, Kenya can be said to pursue a 'cheap food' policy. It was found that most... Show moreThis report reviews government policies concerning consumer food prices in Kenya. In respect of official food pricing, Kenya can be said to pursue a 'cheap food' policy. It was found that most foods falling under price control measures showed less price increases than the average rate of inflation during recent years (1975-1984). Moreover, when compared to international prices, the data reveal that domestic maize prices (maize is Kenya's staple food) were kept well below comparable world market prices for this commodity. Official food pricing policy, however, does not reach the majority of the Kenyans who live in the rural areas. Here, consumer prices are determined by market forces, i.e. by varying local supply conditions, and there are substantial price variations, both seasonal and regional, even between adjacent rural markets. These price variations are further aggravated by the government's stringent regulations on food transports across district boundaries. It is therefore widely recommended that the (maize) food sector be liberalized by lifting movement controls and allowing private traders to participate in maize trading operations, although it remains to be seen whether this will in fact lead to less fluctuating food prices in rural Kenya. Show less
Reviews the findings of available studies and reports thought to be of relevance to policy makers. A discussion of the institutional framework, of criteria used in price-setting procedures, and of... Show moreReviews the findings of available studies and reports thought to be of relevance to policy makers. A discussion of the institutional framework, of criteria used in price-setting procedures, and of scope and objectives of the agricultural pricing policies is folowed by an examination of what these policies 'have done to agriculture'. A final section concentrates on the effects of pricing policies on the (marketed) suply of agricultural production and the importance of 'relative prices' in production decisions of Kenya farmers. Show less
This paper attempts to assess to what extent the growth of the manufacturing sector in Kenya has contributed to a process of integrated and widespread economic development. The first section... Show moreThis paper attempts to assess to what extent the growth of the manufacturing sector in Kenya has contributed to a process of integrated and widespread economic development. The first section reviews the general arguments of development theory to promote industrial development in Third World countries. The second section deals with the pros and cons of the 'import-substitution' policy, which was adopted to speed up the growth of the manufacturing sector. The last section brings together relevant research findings concerning the effects of this policy on the structure of the manufacturing sector, employment creation, income distribution and the operations of multinational firms in Kenya. The conclusion is that the type of industrialisation that has occured has not led to 'a structural transformation' of the Kenyan economy. Import-substitution has not lessened Kenya's external dependency, but has merely changed its nature Show less
Jonge, K. de; Klei, J. van der; Meilink, H.A.; Storm, R. 1978
Deux des limitations majeurs des études sur les migration en Afrique Noire sont leur orientation axée vers l'analyse des caractéristiques et motivations individuelles des migrants et la négligence... Show moreDeux des limitations majeurs des études sur les migration en Afrique Noire sont leur orientation axée vers l'analyse des caractéristiques et motivations individuelles des migrants et la négligence de l'évaluation des conséquences sur les lieux de départ. Ce rapport, résultat d'une recherche menée en 1974 et 1975 par des chercheurs de l'Afrika-Studiecentrum dans quatre villages de Basse Casamance (Sénégal) vise à partiellement corriger ces carences. Pour ce faire, les auteurs adoptent une approche multidisciplinaire intégrée, tenant compte aussi bien des élémants micro- et macroéconomiques que de la stratégie de développement du pays et de ses effets de toutes natures. Ils mettent en lumière la multiplicité des facteurs entrant en jeu dans l'explication du phénomène migratoire et montrent la complexité de leurs interrelations. Ils analysent aussi les conséquences sur les lieux de départ. Show less
Introduction to a volume of papers delivered during the 1977 conference of the Afrika-Studiecentrum in Leiden with the theme of 'Migration and rural development in Tropical Africa'. The... Show moreIntroduction to a volume of papers delivered during the 1977 conference of the Afrika-Studiecentrum in Leiden with the theme of 'Migration and rural development in Tropical Africa'. The geographical coverage of this volume includes West- and Southern Africa, bu does not extend to East or Central Africa. Th papers discuss the main problems of migration in Tropical Africa, namely: 1. The definition of migration, 2. Description of migration streams, 3. Forces behind migration; structure versus individual motivation. 4. The nature of the sectors between which migration takes place, 5. The historical processes by which these different sectors have emerged. 6. The political and economic processes by which the differences between sectors are perpetuated, 7. The social processes by which the different sectors are connected, 8. Migration and rural development. The A's in part 3 end with the general problem that relates to the subjective appreciation of contemporary African conditions, among researchers. Show less
Economists have long neglected changes in labour use in the different sectors. They were primarily interested in the 'most growth inducing production factors' of which capital formation was... Show moreEconomists have long neglected changes in labour use in the different sectors. They were primarily interested in the 'most growth inducing production factors' of which capital formation was thought to be the most effective. However, the record of groving urban unemployment and growing imbalances in ruralurban income and job opportunities has forced economists to reconsider their rigid adjustment models of efficient allocation of the production factors between sectors leading to, in the end, equal seetoral marginal productivities. This paper provides a description of the changes in the approach and the interpretation of labour transfers between sectors and regions (which is in fact what labour migration is about) in economic development theory. Furthermore the A. determines whether these academic studies have led to a more effective migration policy as pursued by the governments of the underdeveloped countries. Show less
