Comments on: Making it happen http://brasstacks.org.uk/africa/blog/2007/02/04/making-it-happen/ Going beyond the white band Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:39:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Rav Casley Gera http://brasstacks.org.uk/africa/blog/2007/02/04/making-it-happen/#comment-1438 Rav Casley Gera Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:34:11 +0000 http://brasstacks.org.uk/africa/blog/2007/02/04/making-it-happen/#comment-1438 i don't doubt it, Hugs. What you're saying chimes with a theme of recent economic thinking on Africa that I'll be coming to later on - namely that, while free markets and economic growth tend to benefit societies that have already reached a certain core stage of development, they can actually be highly disruptive in societies that haven't already reached that core stage. It's things like property rights, basic levels of governance, strong civil socirty institutions, etc. So now there's a lot of emphasis on building these things in Africa so that "the market" can do its supposedly benign work. I'll see if I can find a good link for this. i don’t doubt it, Hugs. What you’re saying chimes with a theme of recent economic thinking on Africa that I’ll be coming to later on - namely that, while free markets and economic growth tend to benefit societies that have already reached a certain core stage of development, they can actually be highly disruptive in societies that haven’t already reached that core stage. It’s things like property rights, basic levels of governance, strong civil socirty institutions, etc. So now there’s a lot of emphasis on building these things in Africa so that “the market” can do its supposedly benign work.

I’ll see if I can find a good link for this.

]]> By: Pete Huggins http://brasstacks.org.uk/africa/blog/2007/02/04/making-it-happen/#comment-1048 Pete Huggins Fri, 16 Mar 2007 07:34:14 +0000 http://brasstacks.org.uk/africa/blog/2007/02/04/making-it-happen/#comment-1048 G'day Rav Well done on completing the review of the Africa Commission's publication. I found your work very informative and much simpler than reading the whole bloody thing. Keep up the good work. Pete. P.s. I would certainly be one saying that economic growth is not necessarily all rosy, but I believe that there are thresholds of economic complexity which need to be reached in order for people (a civilisation) to be sustainable - a stage of development if you will. I have no scientific evidence fot this - it's a hunch. Insofar as Africa does not attain this stage of development and cannot on its own, it needs help from others who have exploited Africa and Africans in the past, and who have developed beyond the realm of sustainability themselves. The important caveat to this argument is that foreign models of economic growth might be totally unsustainable, particularly if transported wholesale into the African environment. I could go on for hours. x G’day Rav

Well done on completing the review of the Africa Commission’s publication. I found your work very informative and much simpler than reading the whole bloody thing. Keep up the good work.

Pete.
P.s. I would certainly be one saying that economic growth is not necessarily all rosy, but I believe that there are thresholds of economic complexity which need to be reached in order for people (a civilisation) to be sustainable - a stage of development if you will. I have no scientific evidence fot this - it’s a hunch. Insofar as Africa does not attain this stage of development and cannot on its own, it needs help from others who have exploited Africa and Africans in the past, and who have developed beyond the realm of sustainability themselves. The important caveat to this argument is that foreign models of economic growth might be totally unsustainable, particularly if transported wholesale into the African environment. I could go on for hours. x

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