Good Growth and Governance in Africa: Rethinking Development Strategies

Why has the economic growth performance of Sub-Saharan Africa been disappointing on balance over the past 50 years? More importantly, what can be done to reverse that trend and to sustain and improve upon the accelerated growth experienced in recent years? What are the possibilities and policies for Africa to reduce poverty and achieve sustained, rapid economic growth? What are the lessons of success in both Africa and elsewhere? Could some of the policies that proved so successful in East Asia help reverse the deindustrialization of Africa in the past three decades and be the basis of its structural transformation? These were the questions posed to a diverse group of experts on development convened by the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD). This volume reflects the highlights of their deliberations. It broadens the policy debate, expands the policy options, and proposes alternative development strategies. This book captures the lively, and sometimes contentious, debate, and provides a note of optimism for the future. Though success is not assured, this volume argues that there is good reason to believe that policies based on lessons of successes, notably in East Asia, can be adapted successfully in African contexts. Contributors to this volume - Yaw Ansu, Chief Economist, African Center for Economic Transformation David Bailey, Professor of International Business Strategy and Economics, Coventry University Kwesi Botchwey, Executive Chairman, African Development Policy Ownership Initiative (ADPOI) Augustin Fosu, Deputy Director, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) Atsushi Hanatani, Senior Research Fellow, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Research Institute Aziz Rahman Khan, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of California, Riverside Mushtaq H. Khan, Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London Helena Lenihan, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Limerick Thandinka Mkandawire, Professor of African Development, Department of International Development, London School of Economics and Political Science Deepak Nayyar, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University Akbar Noman, Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University Izumi Ohno, Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Kenichi Ohno, Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Banji B. Oyeyinka, Professorial Fellow, United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) Padmashree Gehl Sampath, Researcher, United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) Kunal Sen, Professor of Development Economics and Policy, University of Manchester Ajit Singh, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge Howard Stein, Professor, Center for Afroamerican and African Studies (CAAS), University of Michigan Joseph E. Stiglitz, University Professor, Columbia University Jomo K. Sunderam Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Jee-Peng Tan, Education Advisor, World Bank Dirk Willem te Velde, Programme Leader, Investment and Growth Programme, Overseas Development Institute Rudiger von Arnim, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Utah Robert Wade, Professor of Political Economy and Development, Department of International Development, London School of Economics and Political Science Matsuo Watanabe, Faculty of International Studies and Regional Development, University of Niigata Prefecture Nimrod Zalk, Deputy Director-General, Industrial Development Division, South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Meles Zenaewi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia