Reform and Growth in Africa

What qualifies an economy as “emerging”? The answers provided in this book lead to a fresh conception of the diversity of the African continent. Thus, growth dynamics cannot simply be measured in economic terms. Indicators must also include governance, efficiency and democracy of institutions, and an appropriate climate for business. All these issues are linked to policies, and the outstanding conclusion of this book, in the face of embedded “Afro-pessimism”, is that policies do matter for growth; that there is no “African mystery”, simply poor policies and bad governance. Reform and Growth in Africa is a contribution to the search for a reversal of the economic plight of African countries, based upon national experience and policy reform. This book reflects the contributions to the first edition of the International Forum on African Perspectives, which was held in Paris in February 2000. The forum was created by the African Development Bank and the OECD Development Centre as an annual meeting place of ideas and strategies from African countries and from the OECD region. The aim of the Forum is to create an area where the knowledge bases of the partners can be combined to exploit their specific advantages in the search for solutions to the economic problems of Africa. The Forum also includes an open meeting where these ideas can be tested in front of a wide audience of people from the worlds of politics, administration, academia, the media and business.