Sub-Saharan Africa

Paper Summary:

This research paper explores the determining factors of growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by examining the increasingly dominant role of financial assistance, natural resources, culture and non governmental organizations in selected countries of the region. To understand this relationship better, the paper makes a comparison between economic policies, cultural variations and political systems of selected countries. The countries this study reviews are Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda and Sierra Leone.

Outline:
Methodology
Objective
Introduction
Theoretical Background
Previous Work and Literature
Economy Openness
Culture
Foreign Assistance
The Role of NGOs

From the Paper:

"Countries rich in resources must be tempted to promote their export growing policies, which will increase economy openness and exposure to external shocks even to a higher degree. The country will improve its' international competitive position if it promotes exports and trade by investing heavily into this economy sphere. The second round positive result from promoting exports and trade is the future possible exploitation of economies of scale in production when the output sales markets for the producers expand. The third round positive affect is that the producers will naturally eliminate inefficient production facilities and invest into high technology and train and grow skilled labor resources to remain competitive in the global arena. These are the main reasons for opening up the economy and playing on the global market arena, and are very effective economy stimulating methods for economies with low local purchasing power and thus limited local output markets, which are the classifications of African counties, as proven by Fosu . "Open economies do grow more rapidly than closed economies... Whether the measure of openness has to do with exchange rate overvaluation, relative price distortions, tariffs and quotas, share of trade in GDP, the black market premium, or a composite measure combining some of these with state monopolization of commodity exports and general socialism" (Easterly, 2000, p. 48) . "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S., and Robinson, J. 2002. An African Success Story: Botswana, Discussion Paper Series, no. 3219. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research. Bates, R. H. 2000. "Ethnicity and Development in Africa: A Reappraisal." American Economic Review 90 (2): 131-134.
• Alesina, A., and Perotti, R. 1994. "The Political Economy of Growth: A Critical Survey of Recent Literature." The World Bank Economic Review 8 (3): 351-371.
• Almond, Gabriel A., and Sidney Verba. [1963] 1989. The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. Newbury Park, CA:
• Amanor, K. S., Denkabe, A., Wellard, K. Ghana Country Overview, in Wellard, K. & Copestake J. C. Non-Governmental Organization and the State in Africa: Rethinking Roles in Sustainable Agricultural Development, London and New York for ODI: Routledge, pp. 183-194, 1993.
• Aryeetey, Ernest and Augustin K. Fosu (2003). "Economic Growth in Ghana: 196-2000," AERC Growth Project.

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