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Manufacturing Transformation: Comparative Studies of Industrial Development in Africa and Emerging Asia

Online ISBN:
9780191822896
Print ISBN:
9780198776987
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Manufacturing Transformation: Comparative Studies of Industrial Development in Africa and Emerging Asia

Carol Newman (ed.),
Carol Newman
(ed.)
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin
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John Page (ed.),
John Page
(ed.)
Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, The Brookings Institution
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John Rand (ed.),
John Rand
(ed.)
Professor, Development Economics Research Group (DERG), Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen
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Abebe Shimeles (ed.),
Abebe Shimeles
(ed.)
Acting Director, Development Research Department, African Development Bank
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Måns Söderbom (ed.),
Måns Söderbom
(ed.)
Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg
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Finn Tarp (ed.)
Finn Tarp
(ed.)
Director UNU-WIDER and Professor of Development Economics at the University of Copenhagen
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Published:
28 July 2016
Online ISBN:
9780191822896
Print ISBN:
9780198776987
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

While it is possible for economies to grow based on abundant land or natural resources, more often structural change—the shift of resources from low-productivity to high-productivity sectors—is the key driver of economic growth. Structural transformation is vital for Africa. The region’s much-lauded growth turnaround since 1995 has been the result of fewer economic policy mistakes, robust commodity prices, and new discoveries of natural resources. At the same time, Africa’s economic structure has changed very little. Primary commodities and natural resources still account for the bulk of exports. Industry is most often the leading driver of structural transformation. Africa’s experience with industrialization over the past thirty years has been disappointing. In 2010, sub-Saharan Africa’s average share of manufacturing value added in GDP was 10 per cent, unchanged from the 1970s. In fact the share of medium- and high-tech goods in manufacturing production has been falling since the mid-1990s. Per capita manufactured exports are less than 10 per cent of the developing country average. Consequently, Africa’s industrial transformation has yet to take place. This book presents results of comparative country-based research that sought to answer a seemingly simple but puzzling question: why is there so little industry in Africa? It brings together detailed country case studies of industrial policies and industrialization outcomes in eleven countries, conducted by teams of national researchers in partnership with international experts on industrial development. It provides the most comprehensive description and analysis available of the contemporary industrialization experience in low-income Africa.

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