Marginalisation in the Context of Globalisation: Why Is Africa so Poor?
Author(s)
Hagen, Rune Jansen
Abstract
Africa is the poorest region the world, and appears to be slipping further behind. This essay explores and systematizes the literature that deals with why this is so. Four major lessons are suggested. The first is that the history and geography of Africa constitute impediments to economic development; the second is that in many African states growth-retarding policies have been pursued; and the third that there are intimate links between the region’s structural characteristics and its policy regimes. These three conclusions hint at an African poverty trap. The fourth lesson is that it is up to the Africans themselves to prove this supposition wrong.
