With a fast-growing population, massive ongoing urbanisation and constant innovations across the continent, Africa looks poised to leapfrog other emerging markets over the next few decades in terms... Show moreWith a fast-growing population, massive ongoing urbanisation and constant innovations across the continent, Africa looks poised to leapfrog other emerging markets over the next few decades in terms of economic development. This hopefully will lead to constructive flows from the private sector that support overall financial dynamics and help governments to fulfil their obligations, encourage corporations to act responsibly and in a spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals, and inspire all economic players to promote “inclusive development for all” (UN, 2015). The impact of Covid-19 will be considerable, though, with potentially material consequences for health and economic growth. In the long run, the pandemic could strengthen the role of the state in Africa. Professor Ton Dietz was invited to write this paper for NN Investment Partners. Show less
Many African countries have experienced sustained economic growth, but few have achieved the type of structural change, driven by rising productivity, that has transformed mass living standards in... Show moreMany African countries have experienced sustained economic growth, but few have achieved the type of structural change, driven by rising productivity, that has transformed mass living standards in parts of Asia. In the Developmental Regimes in Africa Synthesis Report, editor David Booth examines how DRA research has shed new light on how developmental regimes might emerge and be sustained in Africa in the 21st century. He outlines a concept with defining features at three levels: policy content, especially regarding agriculture; policy process, especially the ability to arrive at appropriate policies through iterative and adaptive problem-solving; and a type of political settlement that frees policy-making from the usual constraints. Among the other authors are the ASC's Ton Dietz and André Leliveld, with a contribution on the Agricultural 'pockets of effectiveness' in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda since 2000. Show less
Innovation and entrepreneurship have the potential to stimulate economic growth. Yet it remains unclear whether top-down or bottom-up innovations are more likely to lead to local economic... Show moreInnovation and entrepreneurship have the potential to stimulate economic growth. Yet it remains unclear whether top-down or bottom-up innovations are more likely to lead to local economic development. By looking at three cases of frugal innovation on the Zambian Copperbelt, in the spheres of housing, water and energy, it will be argued that polycentric innovation (which connects local and international actors) is most likely to generate inclusive development. Yet even a polycentric approach does not guarantee desired outcomes, as innovation remains context specific. Show less
Asian Tigers, African Lions is an anthology of contributions by scholars and (former) diplomats related to the 'Tracking Development' research project, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of... Show moreAsian Tigers, African Lions is an anthology of contributions by scholars and (former) diplomats related to the 'Tracking Development' research project, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and coordinated by the African Studies Centre and KITLV, both in Leiden, in collaboration with scholars based in Africa and Asia. The project compared the performance of growth and development of four pairs of countries in Southeast Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa during the last sixty years. It tried to answer the question how two regions with comparable levels of income per capita in the 1950s could diverge so rapidly. Why are there so many Asian tigers and not yet so many African lions? What could Africa learn from Southeast Asian development trajectories? Show less
Reviews briefly the role of population growth in economic growth theory and makes a few critical remarks on the applied methodology and the underlying assumptions. Emphasis is laid on the possible... Show moreReviews briefly the role of population growth in economic growth theory and makes a few critical remarks on the applied methodology and the underlying assumptions. Emphasis is laid on the possible relationships between population and economic growth in the developing countries, but also Malthus' theory and the stagnationists' of the 1930's is discussed in order to acquire a better understanding of the development in this field. Sections: The claasical economists - The Stagnationists - The Leibenstein/Nelson thesis - The Coale and Hoover study - Myrdal's criticism - The neo-Malthusian approach - Kuznets' criticism of the New Malthusian approach - Boserup's approach - Type of development (Cameroun; Algeria; Ethiopia; Zambia). Notes, table Show less
