Geography, Demography, and Economic Growth in Africa

It is argued that the root of Africa's poverty lies in its extraordinarily disadvantageous geography. The region's economic performance is further impeded by its demographic circumstances, which are themselves most likely related to Africa's poor geographic and economic conditions. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brookings papers on economic activity 1998-01, Vol.1998 (2), p.207-295
Main Authors: Bloom, David E., Sachs, Jeffrey D., Collier, Paul, Udry, Christopher
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Climate
Demographics
Demography
Developing Countries
Ecology
Economic development
Economic growth
Economic reform
Economic summit conferences
Economic theory
Economics
Environment
Evaluation Studies as Topic
Export-import trade
Exports
Fertility
GDP
Geography
Gross Domestic Product
Growth models
Health
Health conditions
Human resources
LDCs
Life expectancy
Malaria
Manufacturing
Per capita
Population
Population density
Population growth
Poverty
Public Health
Purchasing power parity
Social Sciences
Studies
Tropical climates
Tropical regions
World Bank
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Summary:It is argued that the root of Africa's poverty lies in its extraordinarily disadvantageous geography. The region's economic performance is further impeded by its demographic circumstances, which are themselves most likely related to Africa's poor geographic and economic conditions. The general problems of tropical development are discussed, and Africa's problems are put in a worldwide tropical perspective. Demographic trends are discussed, emphasizing the low levels of population density and urbanization and the delayed demographic transition compared with other developing regions. Standard cross-country growth equations are used, augmented with demographic and geographic variables, to account for the relative roles of geography, demography, and policy in Africa's recent growth experience. Future growth strategies are considered, especially the urgent need for urban-based export growth in manufacturing and services.
ISSN:0007-2303
1533-4465
0007-2303
DOI:10.2307/2534695