4 - An Alternative African Developmentalism: A Critique of Zero-sum Games and Palliative Economics
Corresponding Author(s) : Yves Ekoue Amaizo
Africa Development,
Vol. 37 No. 4 (2012): Africa Development: Special Issue on‘Africa and its Discontents:Politics, Economics and Culture’
Abstract
Africa’s economic growth and dependence since independence has been characterised by a zero-sum economic interaction with the West. This was no more than a continuation of the Centre-Periphery relationship that existed during colonial times. The result of the zero- sum game interaction between Africa and the West has been to further increase the historic unequal exchange. Economic crises marked by massive unemployment, low wages and high prices have led to dangerous migrations from the discontented continent. The problem is that the post-colonial African nations are still firmly tied to the economic theories and programmes of their erstwhile colonisers. Thus the solutions offered by way of the West are no more than palliatives. The solution is to develop new theories and pragmatic solutions that derive from autonomous Africa-centred positions. This is the significance of an alternative African developmentalism.
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- Amaïzo, Y. E., ed., 2002, L’Afrique est-elle incapable de s’unir ?Lever l’intangibilité des frontières et opter pour un passeport commun, With a Foreword by Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Paris: L’Harmattan.
- Amaïzo, Y.E., 1998, De la dépendance à l’interdépendance. Mondialisation et marginalisation. Une chance pour l’Afrique, Paris: L’Harmattan.
- Amaïzo, Y.E., 2010, Crise financière mondiale. Des réponses alternatives de l’Afrique, Paris : Menaibuc.
- Amin, S., 1977, Unequal Development : An Essay on the Social Formation of Peripheral Capitalism, New York : Monthly Review Press.Amin. S., 2008, Du capitalisme à la civilisation, Paris: Editions Syllepse.
- Asante, M. K., 1988, Afrocentricity : The Theory of Social Change, First Edition, Buffalo, NY : Amulefi.
- Bauer, P.T., 1972, Dissent on Development, Cambridge, Mass :. Harvard University Press.
- Baran, P., 1957, The Political Economy of Growth, New York : Monthly Review Press.
- Bayard, J.-F., 2010, Les études postcoloniales. Un carnaval académique, Paris: Karthala.
- Cavanagh, J., Mander, J., 2002, Alternatives to Economic Globalization. A Better World is Possible, A Report of The International Forum on Globalization, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
- Chang, H.-J., 2002, Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective, London: Anthem.
- Chang, H.-J., ed., 2003, Rethinking Development Economics, London: Anthem.
- Chang, H.-J., 2007, Bad Samaritans. Rich Nations, Poor Policies, and the Threat
- to the Developing World, London: Random House Business Books..
- Collier, P., 2007, The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It, London: Oxford University Press, First Edition.
- De Soto, H. , 2003, The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, New York: Basic Books, First Edition.
- Diop, C.A., 1978, Black Africa: The Economic and Cultural Basis for a Federated State, Hartford, Conn.: Lawrence and Hill.
- Domar, E. , 1946, ‘Capital Expansion, Rate of Growth, and Employment’, Econometrica, 14, 137-47.
- Dumont, R., 1962, L’ Afrique est mal partie, Paris: Editions du Seuil.
- Easterly, W. 2006, The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good, New York: Penguin Press.
- Easterly, W., 2007. ‘The Ideology of Development’, Foreign Policy, July/August, 30-35.
- Haque, S. M., 1999, Restructuring Development Theories and Policies: A Critical Study, New York: SUNY Press.
- Harrod, R., 1948, Toward a Dynamic Economics: Some Recent Developments of Economic Theory and Their Applications to Policy, London: MacMillan.
- Hippler, S., Grill, B., 2007, God, Aids, Africa, Koln: Kiepenheuer and Witsch, IMF, 2010, Regional Economic Outlook. Sub-Saharan Africa. Back to High Growth, April, Washington D C: IMF.
- Jomo, K. S., Reinert, E. S., eds, 2005, The Origins of Development Economics: How Schools of Economic Thought Have Addressed Development, New Dehli: Tulika Books.
- Kaldor, N., 1975, ‘What is Wrong with Economic Theory’, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 89, Issue 3, 347-57.
References
Amaïzo, Y. E., ed., 2002, L’Afrique est-elle incapable de s’unir ?Lever l’intangibilité des frontières et opter pour un passeport commun, With a Foreword by Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Paris: L’Harmattan.
Amaïzo, Y.E., 1998, De la dépendance à l’interdépendance. Mondialisation et marginalisation. Une chance pour l’Afrique, Paris: L’Harmattan.
Amaïzo, Y.E., 2010, Crise financière mondiale. Des réponses alternatives de l’Afrique, Paris : Menaibuc.
Amin, S., 1977, Unequal Development : An Essay on the Social Formation of Peripheral Capitalism, New York : Monthly Review Press.Amin. S., 2008, Du capitalisme à la civilisation, Paris: Editions Syllepse.
Asante, M. K., 1988, Afrocentricity : The Theory of Social Change, First Edition, Buffalo, NY : Amulefi.
Bauer, P.T., 1972, Dissent on Development, Cambridge, Mass :. Harvard University Press.
Baran, P., 1957, The Political Economy of Growth, New York : Monthly Review Press.
Bayard, J.-F., 2010, Les études postcoloniales. Un carnaval académique, Paris: Karthala.
Cavanagh, J., Mander, J., 2002, Alternatives to Economic Globalization. A Better World is Possible, A Report of The International Forum on Globalization, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Chang, H.-J., 2002, Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective, London: Anthem.
Chang, H.-J., ed., 2003, Rethinking Development Economics, London: Anthem.
Chang, H.-J., 2007, Bad Samaritans. Rich Nations, Poor Policies, and the Threat
to the Developing World, London: Random House Business Books..
Collier, P., 2007, The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It, London: Oxford University Press, First Edition.
De Soto, H. , 2003, The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, New York: Basic Books, First Edition.
Diop, C.A., 1978, Black Africa: The Economic and Cultural Basis for a Federated State, Hartford, Conn.: Lawrence and Hill.
Domar, E. , 1946, ‘Capital Expansion, Rate of Growth, and Employment’, Econometrica, 14, 137-47.
Dumont, R., 1962, L’ Afrique est mal partie, Paris: Editions du Seuil.
Easterly, W. 2006, The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good, New York: Penguin Press.
Easterly, W., 2007. ‘The Ideology of Development’, Foreign Policy, July/August, 30-35.
Haque, S. M., 1999, Restructuring Development Theories and Policies: A Critical Study, New York: SUNY Press.
Harrod, R., 1948, Toward a Dynamic Economics: Some Recent Developments of Economic Theory and Their Applications to Policy, London: MacMillan.
Hippler, S., Grill, B., 2007, God, Aids, Africa, Koln: Kiepenheuer and Witsch, IMF, 2010, Regional Economic Outlook. Sub-Saharan Africa. Back to High Growth, April, Washington D C: IMF.
Jomo, K. S., Reinert, E. S., eds, 2005, The Origins of Development Economics: How Schools of Economic Thought Have Addressed Development, New Dehli: Tulika Books.
Kaldor, N., 1975, ‘What is Wrong with Economic Theory’, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 89, Issue 3, 347-57.