Much of Sub-Saharan Africa's post-independence macroeconomic history has been characterized by boom-bust cycles. Growth accelerations have been common, but short lived. Weak policy formulation and implementation led to large external and fiscal imbalances, excessive debt accumulation, volatile...

Much of Sub-Saharan Africa's post-independence macroeconomic history has been characterized by boom-bust cycles. Growth accelerations have been common, but short lived. Weak policy formulation and implementation led to large external and fiscal imbalances, excessive debt accumulation, volatile...

"This book brings non-expert readers to the frontier of economic development. How governments actually function, the basics of economic policy, new tools for social assistance, the reality of Africa, and the challenges of inclusion, education, health, infrastructure, data, foreign aid, among...

Preface: whom is this book for? -- Acknowledgments -- Overview: what is economic development and what does this book say about it? -- Governments : one day, they will work for you -- Economic policy : the basics you¿ve got to get right -- Social policy : old war, new weapons -- Inclusion :...

As mobile phone ownership rates have risen in Africa, there is increased interest in using mobile telephony as a data collection platform. This paper draws on two pilot projects that use mobile phone interviews for data collection in Tanzania and South Sudan. The experience was largely a...

Noting that Africa's resource-rich countries have not translated their wealth into sustained economic growth and poverty reduction, this paper shows that by transferring a portion of resource-related government revenues uniformly and universally as direct payments to the population, some...