The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics: Volume 1: Context and Concepts

by Celestin Monga, Justin Yifu Lin

Overview

For a long time, economic research on Africa was not seen as a profitable venture intellectually or professionally-few researchers in top-ranked institutions around the world chose to become experts in the field. This was understandable: the reputation of Africa-centered economic research was not enhanced by the well-known limitations of economic data across the continent. Moreover, development economics itself was not always fashionable, and the broader discipline of economics has had its ups and downs, and has been undergoing a major identity crisis because it failed to predict the Great Recession.

Times have changed: many leading researchers-including a few Nobel laureates-have taken the subject of Africa and economics seriously enough to devote their expertise and creativity to it. They have been amply rewarded: the richness, complexities, and subtleties of African societies, civilizations, rationalities, and ways of living, have helped renew the humanities and the social sciences-and economics in particular-to the point that the continent has become the next major intellectual frontier to researchers from around the world.

In collecting some of the most authoritative statements about the science of economics and its concepts in the African context, this handbook (the first of two volumes) opens up the diverse acuity of commentary on exciting topics, and in the process challenges and stimulates the quest for knowledge. Wide-ranging in its scope, themes, language, and approaches, this volume explores, examines, and assesses economic thinking on Africa, and Africa's contribution to the discipline. The editors bring a set of powerful resources to this endeavor, most notably a team of internationally-renowned economists whose diverse viewpoints are complemented by the perspectives of philosophers, political scientists, and anthropologists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198819707
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/15/2018
Series:	Oxford Handbooks
Pages:	864
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Celestin Monga is Chief Economist and Vice President of Economic Governance and Knowledge Management at the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Managing Director at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). He previously worked as Senior Advisor for Structural Transformation at the World Bank and has held various board and senior positions in academia and financial services, including as a pro bono member of the advisory boards at the MIT's Sloan School of Management, the Quantam Global Group, and the Official Monetary and Fianancial Institutions Forum (OMFIF). Dr Monga was the Economics editor for the 5-volume New Encyclopedia of Africa (Charles Scribner's, 2007). His published works have been translated into multiple languages.

Justin Yifu Lin is Councillor of the State Council and Professor and Honorary Dean of the National School of Development at Peking University. He was the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank, 2008-2012. Prior to this, Professor Lin served for 15 years as Founding Director and Professor of the China Centre for Economic Research (CCER) at Peking University. He is a member of the Standing Committee, Chinese People's Political Consultation Conference, and Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. He is a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for Developing World.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Africa, the Next Intellectual Frontier, Celestin Monga and Justin Yifu LinPart I: Concepts1. Prolegomena to Economics as an African Science: A Philosophical Meditation, Fabien Eboussi Boulaga2. Households and Income in Africa, Kathleen Beegle, Calogero Carletto, Benjamin Davis, and Alberto Zezza3. Transformation of African Farm-cum-Family Structures, Catherine Guirkinger and Jean-Philippe Platteau4. The Economics of Marriage in North Africa: A Unifying Theoretical Framework, Ragui Assaad and Caroline Krafft5. The Theory of the Firm in the African Context, Christopher Malikane6. Markets and Urban Provisioning, Jane I. Guyer7. Development as Diffusion: Manufacturing Productivity and Africa's Missing Middle, Alan Gelb, Christian J. Meyer, and Vijaya Ramachandran8. Employment, Unemployment, and Underemployment in Africa, Stephen Golub and Faraz Hayat9. Inclusive Growth in Africa, Mthuli Ncube10. Poverty: Shifting Fortunes and New Perspectives, Abebe Shimeles11. Dimensions of African Inequality, Arne Bigsten12. Inclusive Growth and Developmental Governance: The Next African Frontiers, Richard Joseph13. Economics and the Study of Corruption in Africa, Melissa A. Thomas14. Thoughts on Development: The African Experience, Francois Bourguignon15. The Idea of Economic Development: Views from Africa, Hippolyte FofackPart II: Methodological Issues16. Principles of Economics: African Challenges, Celestin Monga17. Economics and Culture in Africa, Felwine Sarr18. The Economics of Non-Cognitive Skills, Laura Camfield19. Modeling African Economies: A DSGE Approach, Andrew Berg, Shu-Chun S. Yang, and Luis-Felipe Zanna20. Measuring Economic Progress in the African Context, Morten Jerven21. Measuring Structural Economic Vulnerability in Africa, Patrick Guillaumont22. Measuring Democracy: An Economic Approach, Celestin Monga23. Measurement and Analysis of Competitiveness, Olumide Taiwo and Julius A. AgborPart III: Historical Trajectories and Economic Landscape24. Africa's New Economic Opportunities, Paul Collier25. Tigers or Tiger Prawns? The African Growth 'Tragedy' and 'Renaissance' in Perspective, Christopher Cramer and Ha-Joon Chang26. The Economic Legacies of the African Slave Trades, Warren C. Whatley27. The Economics of Colonialism in Africa, Gareth Austin28. Public-Private Interface for Inclusive Development in Africa, Olu Ajakaije and Afeikhena Jerome29. Natural Resources in Africa: Precious Boon or Precious Bane?, Ibrahim Ahmed Elbadawi and Nadir Abdellatif Mohammed30. Volatility and Vulnerability, Xubei Luo31. Africa's Urbanization: Challenges and Opportunities, Maria E. (Mila) Freire, Somik Lall, and Danny Leipziger32. Environmental and Climate Change Issues in Africa, Tomonori Sudo33. Informality, Growth and Development in Africa, Ahmadou Aly Mbaye and Nancy Benjamin34. Capitalism and African Business Cultures, Scott D. TaylorPart IV: The Economics of Political Transformation35. The Impact of Democracy on Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1982-2012, Takaaki Masaki and Nicolas van de Walle36. The Economics of Authoritarianism in North Africa, Raj M. Desai, Anders Olofsgard, and Tarik M. Yousef37. The Potential Economic Dividends of North African Revolutions, Mustapha Kamel Nabli and Hakim Ben Hammouda38. The Economics of Violent Conflict and War in Africa, Anke Hoeffler39. The Causes and Consequences of Terrorism in Africa, Juliet Elu and Gregory Price40. The Political Economy of the New Arab Awakening, Mustapha Kamel Nabli and Hakim Ben Hammouda41. Democratic Decentralization and Economic Development, Roger B. Myerson42. The Economics of Happiness and Anger in North Africa, Nadareh Chamlou