Africa's Economic Performance: Limitations of the Current Consensus

Historical and micro-survey evidence, as well as the standard data from international organizations, support less pessimistic conclusions on Africa's development performance than those reached by many social scientists. The changes that have benefited women over the last four decades are highli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of economic perspectives 1999-07, Vol.13 (3), p.89-114
Main Author: Sender, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Agricultural development
Agricultural production
Developing countries
Economic development
Economic growth
Economic growth rate
Economic history
Economic infrastructure
Economic performance
Economic policy
Economic theory
Economists
Females
Financial investments
Food crops
Infant mortality
International organizations
LDCs
Life expectancy
Literacy
Mortality
Political economy
Socioeconomics
Symposium: Slow Growth in Africa
Trends
Welfare
World Bank
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Summary:Historical and micro-survey evidence, as well as the standard data from international organizations, support less pessimistic conclusions on Africa's development performance than those reached by many social scientists. The changes that have benefited women over the last four decades are highlighted; a discussion of growth in agricultural production follows. However, the complexity and the brutality of processes of social and economic change in Sub-Saharan African economies are also stressed. The theoretical implications of these complexities have not been adequately analyzed by World Bank economists. The Bank's recent efforts to reassess its policies are, therefore, unlikely to achieve the results anticipated.
ISSN:0895-3309
1944-7965
DOI:10.1257/jep.13.3.89