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Why has Africa Grown So Slowly?. Xavier Sala-i-Martin Columbia University. Distortions and the Cost of Investment. Investment is low in Africa Investment is Expensive Risk may be overstated. Survey of Business Leaders. Human Capital (1): Education. School Enrollments are low
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Why has Africa Grown So Slowly? Xavier Sala-i-Martin Columbia University
Distortions and the Cost of Investment • Investment is low in Africa • Investment is Expensive • Risk may be overstated
Human Capital (1): Education • School Enrollments are low • Investment in Education does not lead to more enrollment: incentives • Education of GIRLS has added benefits in terms of Health and Fertility
Human Capital (II): Health • Life expectancy has increased in African over the last 40 years but: • AIDS • Malaria • We now face a public health crisis, a pandemic of biblical proportions
Geography, Tropics and Institutions • Most Sub-Saharan Africa has adverse Geography: • Landlocked • Tropical • Direct impact on productivity (soil, specific agricultural productivity,…) (Sachs and Warner 1995) • Direct impact on health and, thus, productivity (Sachs and Warner 1995) • Indirect impact on institutions (Acemoglu et al. 2000) • INSTITUTIONS AND NATURAL RESOURCES (Nigeria, Sala-I-Martin and Subramanian 2003)
Survey of Business Leaders. Corruption and the Natural Resource Curse
Openness (Globalization?) • Africa is essentially CLOSED (1% of world trade) • And whatever Trade depends too much on a single natural resource (oil, diamonds,…)
Is Globalization to Blame? • What is it? Free Movement of • Capital • Labor • Goods • Technology • Information • Have any of these arrived in Africa?
Survey of Business Leaders • See all the slides on Institutional Environment
Ethnic Fractionalization and Conflict • Countries at war between 1960-2002: Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda or Zimbabwe.
What to do? • African Countries • Peace • Institutions/Markets • Openness • Rich Countries: • Change AID Programs: • Focus on R&D • Open Markets (especially EU, USA and Japan ‘s agricultural protectionism) • NGOs: • Education (progresa-type programs) • Health (doctors without borders)