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Meditating on "Slow Growth in Africa" - New Evidence or Just Ol' Stuff?

Author

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  • V. Heinrich Amavilah

    (Glendale College)

Abstract

This abstract will be reformatted upon submission. You don't need to format for line-breaks here!!!!! This will be a new paragraph but you can't indent - sorry. Now remember the good old days of cards. Punched holes in The Journal of Economic Perspectives (Summer, 1999: 3-114) published a collection of symposium papers on “Slow Growth in Africa”. Clearly the collection added volume to Africa’s literature on the subject. However, the different opinions the papers expressed did little to enhance current understanding of Africa’s economic performance, mainly because the papers paint very different pictures of the same object. This short statement meditates on those papers. First, it summarizes the main conclusions of each paper. Second, it comments broadly on those papers as it seeks to understand if there is new evidence on economic performance in Africa or just ol’ stuff. Finally, it sketches one possible way for further research.

Suggested Citation

  • V. Heinrich Amavilah, 2003. "Meditating on "Slow Growth in Africa" - New Evidence or Just Ol' Stuff?," Development and Comp Systems 0307003, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpdc:0307003
    Note: Type of Document - Word; prepared on IBM PC - PC; to print on HP/PostScript; pages: 8 ; figures: included/request from author. I never published this comment and now I would like to share it with wider readership.
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thorvaldur Gylfason & Gylfi Zoega, 2006. "Natural Resources and Economic Growth: The Role of Investment," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 1091-1115, August.
    2. Benno J. Ndulu & Stephen A. O'Connell, 2000. "Correction: Governance and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 241-242, Summer.
    3. Leamer, Edward E, 1983. "Let's Take the Con Out of Econometrics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(1), pages 31-43, March.
    4. Angus Deaton, 1999. "Commodity Prices and Growth in Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 23-40, Summer.
    5. Sachs, Jeffrey D. & Warner, Andrew M., 1999. "The big push, natural resource booms and growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 43-76, June.
    6. John Sender, 1999. "Africa's Economic Performance: Limitations of the Current Consensus," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 89-114, Summer.
    7. T. Paul Schultz, 1999. "Health and Schooling Investments in Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 67-88, Summer.
    8. Benno J. Ndulu & Stephen A. O'Connell, 1999. "Governance and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 41-66, Summer.
    9. Paul Collier & Jan Willem Gunning, 1999. "Why Has Africa Grown Slowly?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 3-22, Summer.
    10. repec:bla:econom:v:41:y:1974:i:161:p:81-96 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2018. "Endogenous constraints, coefficients of economic distance, and economic performance of African countries – An exploratory essay," MPRA Paper 90065, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2014. "Sir W. Arthur Lewis and the Africans: Overlooked Economic Growth Lessons," MPRA Paper 57126, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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