Ethnic Diversity and Economic Instability in Africa

by Hino, Hiroyuki; Lonsdale, John; Ranis, Gustav; Stewart, Frances

• ISBN13: 9781107025998
• ISBN10: 1107025990
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-08-27
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

There is growing consensus in the development economics literature that ethnic diversity is a very significant factor in explaining Africa's poor economic performance. Ethnic Diversity and Economic Instability in Africa challenges this conventional wisdom. Drawing on the insights of historians, anthropologists and political scientists as well as development economists, this book questions whether ethnicity is the most useful organising principle by which to examine the economic development of Africa, arguing that it is a more fluid and contingent concept than economic models allow. Instead, the authors explore the actual experience of ethnicity in Africa and propose new methods of measuring ethnic diversity and inequalities. Finally some tentative conclusions are reached regarding appropriate policy reforms.

Table of Contents

List of figures

List of tables

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Notes on the contributors

Introduction

Findings of development economics and their limitations

De-mystifying Ethnicity

Ethnic patriotism and markets in African history

The concept of ethnicity: strengths and limitations for quantitative analysis

Essence of ethnicity: an African perspective

Does Ethnic Diversity Hinder Economic Development?

State, ethnicity and economy in Africa

Ethnic politics, economic reform and democratisation in Africa

Evidence from spatial correlation of poverty and income in Kenya

Relationships between Ethnicity and Stability

Belonging, exclusion and ethnic competition

Horizontal inequalities and market instability in Africa

Impact of ethnicities on market outcome: results of market experiments in Kenya

Conclusion: key findings of our interdisciplinary dialogue

Author index

Subject index

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