Africa's Failed Economic Development Trajectory: A Critique

Obeng-Odoom, F

Africa's Failed Economic Development Trajectory: A Critique

Obeng-Odoom, F

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Publisher:: Rhodes University
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: African Review of Economics and Finance, 2013, 4 (2), pp. 151 - 175
Issue Date:: 2013-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Obeng-Odoom, F https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3997-7751	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	African Review of Economics and Finance, 2013, 4 (2), pp. 151 - 175	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	2042-1478	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/27670
dc.description.abstract	Crisis narratives and populist representations of the woes of Africa abound. Civil society organisations do not always help, as their activities continue to sustain a particularly negative image of Africa. `Revisionists have tried to counter this state of affairs by providing `success stories about Africa. Thus, the literature on the state of affairs in Africa is reduced to a bifurcation of `failure and `success without resolving the fundamental question of whether there is something wrong with economic development in Africa. This paper tries to move that state of knowledge forward by providing a systematic analysis of what development analysts and practitioners mean by `economic development, while exploring how adequate are the indices for measuring the idea. Framing the question in those terms reveals a complex ensemble of findings among which are the contested nature of economic development, its indicators, and predictions findings which have substantial implications for judging whether there is something wrong with economic development in Africa.	en_US
dc.publisher	Rhodes University	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	African Review of Economics and Finance	en_US
dc.title	Africa's Failed Economic Development Trajectory: A Critique	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.for	120505 Regional Analysis and Development	en_US
utslib.for	1402 Applied Economics	en_US
utslib.for	1502 Banking, Finance and Investment	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Built Environment
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CCDP - Contemporary Design Practice
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.volume	4	en_US

Abstract:

Crisis narratives and populist representations of the woes of Africa abound. Civil society organisations do not always help, as their activities continue to sustain a particularly negative image of Africa. `Revisionists have tried to counter this state of affairs by providing `success stories about Africa. Thus, the literature on the state of affairs in Africa is reduced to a bifurcation of `failure and `success without resolving the fundamental question of whether there is something wrong with economic development in Africa. This paper tries to move that state of knowledge forward by providing a systematic analysis of what development analysts and practitioners mean by `economic development, while exploring how adequate are the indices for measuring the idea. Framing the question in those terms reveals a complex ensemble of findings among which are the contested nature of economic development, its indicators, and predictions findings which have substantial implications for judging whether there is something wrong with economic development in Africa.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/27670