Week 3 Response-Christine

This week’s readings lead to the basic understanding that colonization has left Africa and other civilizations (Inca, Aztecs, Native Americans) with more problems than before they were colonized while the colonialists left better off economically. In addition the readings seem to make Africans look like helpless victims to their environment (in which they seemed perfectly fine in before colonialism) instead of what they can do to fix the issues themselves. Herbst points out that the size and shape of African countries were given to them, and although history has said that larger is better in terms of the size of a nation, smaller African countries have a better chance of controlling their population. He also mentions that small states may not be as “economically viable”, but I disagree. What about Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, or even South Korea? One of the solutions that I believe will help the economies of African countries (especially those not on the coast) is a regional trade cooperative. East African countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda should trade with each other, strengthening the region and its own countries and the same with the Southern, Northern, and Eastern regions. It would be like a mini-European Union and citizens of the cooperative countries should be able to travel easily between countries. Currently there is more trade between individual African countries and foreign countries, but if the majority of trade were to occur within Africa, the money would remain in Africa too.

Diamond, Sachs, Mellinger, Gallup, Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson all seem to say something about how diseases have played a major role in impeding development in Africa. Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson says that “unhealthy people are less productive”, but also thinks that health conditions are not the main issue in economic development. I agree. Obviously fighting diseases is important, but the underlying issue is still poverty. My professor in Kenya told a story about how an NGO gave malaria nets to people at a coastal village, but when the organization came back a few months later, they found that the people had sold the nets to fishermen for money because they needed food. Sachs recommends increasing donor funds to fight diseases and poverty, however they need something more long-term and sustainable to get themselves out of poverty, so they will not become dependent on aid. Regional cooperatives can be a solution along with governmental support of informal markets where majorities of the African population get their income. Geography and history may play a part in Africa’s slow growth, but they can be overcome.