“We might ask whether Africa's new democracies are democracies at all”
While the small (but noticeable) uptick in Africa’s recent economic growth is not in dispute, its causes are not entirely clear. Like Miguel, I would like to believe that democratic reforms deserve some credit for this unexpected turn of events. Most African countries today hold regular elections, and political leaders in Africa are significantly more likely to leave power voluntarily than through a coup, violent overthrow, or assassination.
Yet it has been frustratingly difficult for social scientists to find robust evidence of democracy’s economic dividends.
This article has become a book!
Africa’s Turn?
Edward Miguel
Cloth / April 2009
“A refreshing take on the fortunes of Africa in the current century and a fascinating compendium of some of the leading theorists of African development.” — Publishers Weekly
By the end of the twentieth century, sub–Saharan Africa had experienced twenty–five years of economic and political disaster. While “economic miracles” in China and India raised hundreds of millions from extreme poverty, Africa seemed to have been overtaken by violent conflict and mass destitution, and ranked lowest in the world in just about every economic and social indicator.
Working in Busia, a small Kenyan border town, economist Edward Miguel began to notice something different starting in 1997: modest but steady economic progress, with new construction projects, flower markets, shops, and ubiquitous cell phones. In Africa’s Turn? Miguel tracks a decade of comparably hopeful economic trends throughout sub–Saharan Africa and suggests that we may be seeing a turnaround.
Responding to Miguel, nine experts gauge his optimism: Olu Ajakaiye, Ken Banks, Robert Bates, Paul Collier, Rachel Glennerster, Rosamond Naylor, Smita Singh, David N. Weil, and Jeremy M. Weinstein.
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About the Author
Jeremy M. Weisntein is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for African Studies at Stanford University. He is author of Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence.
Related Articles
This is a response to Edward Miguel's Is It Africa's Turn?
Other responses in the New Democracy Forum:
Robert Bates
Ken Banks
Olu Ajakaiye
Rosamond Naylor
David N. Weil
Smita Singh
Paul Collier
Rachel Glennerster
Edward Miguel offers his own response to the
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