Economics in Publications

In this highly personal and keenly argued commentary, James Gikunju Muuru makes the first detailed response by an African smallholder to the controversy over ‘food miles’. His account describes the serial feats of coordination, discipline, productivity and manual...

Coalition government in the UK is an opportunity to revise policy on Africa. More aid to Africa is touted as proof of politicians’ compassion and conscience. But an emerging cross-party consensus has ignored significant policy failures. Democracy, trade, technology and regional...

In the heyday of African nationalism, the continent’s founding fathers plotted their vision of pan-African unity. The twin paths of closer political and economic integration appeared to them as the only means to achieve dignity prosperity and security. Today, closer...

Predictions of a Green Revolution in Africa are overstated. Investment in African agriculture has been neglected by governments and donors. The proportion of aid allocated to agriculture fell from 17% in 1980 to 3% in 2005.1 Population growth and declining productivity among...

October 2009 Download PDF Tanzania and Senegal have long records of political stability. Both made peaceful transitions from single-party ‘African socialism’ to multiparty democracy, becoming favourites with foreign donors and development agencies. Recent elections were declared...

In this Policy Voice, Chidara Muchineripi, a management consultant from Harare, argues that indigenous crops should play a more important role in African agriculture. Chidara, who is next in line for the chieftainship of the semi-arid district of Gutu, built a consensus amongst...

East Africa’s most populous nation has been a beacon of political stability in a troubled region. Yet for most of Tanzania’s post-independence history, ethnic and religious tolerance has been underpinned by the dominant governing party Chama Cha Mapinduzi. An...

This briefing note compares economic and social policy in South Africa with Brazil. It argues that South Africa has followed a trajectory similar in many respects to Brazil, the dominant economy in South America. But the comparison highlights weaknesses in Pretoria and the ANC....

This briefing note highlights the role of fertiliser subsidies in Malawi, the world’s fifth poorest country. Malawi has suffered recurrent poor harvests, with disastrous consequences for food security since the early 1990s. Yields have improved significantly in the past two...

Life expectancy in Zimbabwe is the lowest in the world, but Zimbabweans across the political spectrum insist the country can recover from its crisis. The Day After Mugabe collects the views of key actors, commentators and policy experts. The contributors unravel what has gone...