Economic Liberalisation and Development in Africa

Economic Liberalisation and Development in Africa PDF

Author: Kwame Sundaram

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2008-05-15

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 2869783949

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Sundaram notes that over three decades of economic stagnation, contraction and increased poverty have taken a huge toll on Africa's economic, social and political fabric; and pro-active efforts are urgently required in order to build new capacities and c

Structural Adjustment and Socio-economic Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

Structural Adjustment and Socio-economic Change in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF

Author: Peter Gibbon

Publisher: Nordic Africa Institute

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13: 9789171063977

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This report summarises the results of work at the Nordiska Afrikainstitutet/Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) on the impact of structural adjustment implementation on the economies, states and societies of sub-Saharan Africa. It consists of two essays and an appendix listing research projects which have been/are being carried out under the auspices of NAI. The first essay raises a series of conceptual and methodological questions in the context of a presentation of some of the main empirical results obtained from extended field work carried out during the course of 1992 and 1993 in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The second essay presents the three main themes - private trading networks and structures, the changing political economy of land, and popular forms of social provisioning - that constitute the core of the second phase of NAI's structural adjustment research and, in so doing, provides a review of aspects of the adjustment literature. This report is, therefore, an attempt both at stock-taking and agenda-building as part of a wider quest for deepening our understanding of the structures and processes of socio-economic change associated with the crisis and adjustment years in contemporary Africa

Political Liberalization and Democratization in Africa

Political Liberalization and Democratization in Africa PDF

Author: Julius O. Ihonvbere

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2003-12-30

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13:

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Since the late 1980s, Africans have been engaged in efforts to transform their societies and provide themselves with more effective governance and economic structures. Unfortunately, most of these efforts have not progressed beyond simple elections. The contributors to this volume provide strategies that Africans can use to deepen democracy, improve resource allocation, and enhance their ability to coexist peacefully. Mbaku, Ihonvbere, and their contributors, while adopting a critical approach to the study of African political economy, take a stand against Afro-pessimism. They articulate an holistic agenda for addressing Africa's mulitfarious problems, reject received knowledge, and, through a dialectical methodology, draw attention to the centrality of social categories/classes, the state, civil society, the environment, communities, and patterns of change in the continent. Relying on fieldwork, hard data, and critical reviews of the extant literature, the volume highlights the importance of democracy and democratization to the urgent restructuring that Africa needs in the new globalization. Paying attention to the continent's historical experiences and its specificities, the contributors draw attention to the importance of grassroots action, leadership, and the need to constitutionally entrench civil liberties.

Between Liberalisation and Oppression

Between Liberalisation and Oppression PDF

Author: P. Thandika Mkandawire

Publisher: Codesria

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13:

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No one can fail to be aware of the incredible impact that the IMF and the World Bank have had on Africa. Their structural adjustment programmes were deliberately designed to shock African economies into free market reform and ensuing stability. But when `getting the prices right' first swamped the World Bank's African economic plans in the early 1980s, few bothered to analyse the politics of a reform package whose immediate impact was violent and unsettling. While Africa has come a long way since then, the goal of market reform must be as important as the task of understanding the politics of unleashing the forces of the market. Not least, is the question of democratisation, which the Bank itself now attempts to force through with loan conditions. This book is the culmination of intense debate by African authors across the continent. Three sections make up a comprehensive analysis of adjustment regimes, their perspectives and the political context in which they have survived, or not. Country case studies in both anglophone and francophone Africa round up the analysis.

Promoting Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Promoting Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF

Author: Mr.Anupam Basu

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2000-10-02

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13: 9781557759665

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Africa is the world’s poorest continent, but amid all the bad news, there is hope for change. This pamphlet examines the lessons to be learned from some of the more successful economies south of the Sahara, and discusses a policy framework to promote sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty across the region.

Adjustment and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Adjustment and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF

Author: Evangelos A. Calamitsis

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 1999-04

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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In many respects, sub-Saharan Africa today is quite different from what it was in the early 1980s. For the first time in a generation, there is clear evidence of economic progress in an increasing number of countries in the region. Thus, since 1994 aggregate economic performance has been improving, reflecting the implementation of appropriate policies, often in the context of comprehensive adjustment and reform programs supported by the IMF and the World Bank. Sound fiscal and monetary policies have led to a substantial reduction of domestic and external financial imbalances. At the same time, important structural reforms have contributed to alleviating distortions and improving overall economic efficiency.2 More and more countries in the region are also giving increasing attention to achieving high-quality growth by placing higher priority on public spending on health care, education, and other basic social services. Moreover, the implementation of these economic policies has been accompanied by political liberalization and a movement toward participatory forms of government that foster a consensus encompassing the state and civil society.