Long Run Leadership Production and Selection Model for Democracies in Africa

Within the broad agenda of economic development, we suggest a model of leadership production and selection which shows how the optimal number of people required to bridge the gap between actual and potential economic performance could be raised and selected into public office. The honesty and competence of those selected helps to overcome the considerable inertial against take-off of economic development by inculcating common values in peoples from across diverse groups. By imbibing common norms through the school system, we generate economics of scale which otherwise would not be available in scattered, self-governing and well-run communities. The selection process uses the school system to make social progress an important leadership concern and economic advancement an important part of individual utility function. In generating this special breed through the school system, the incompetent individuals are screened out from the competent individuals as well as the honest from the dishonest ones. The honest individuals are sorted into three ability categories for public governance for the three tiers of government in democratic societies. The ultimate aim is to motivate every family towards producing individuals whose characters and competences are compatible with the requirements of developmental states