UA does "African Poverty and Western Aid": Readings

Required books:

Even though this is 'textbook-like', you NEED to read it!

Todd J. Moss (2007). African development. London, Lynne Rienner.

Most of these will be read throughout the semester:

Nicolas van de Walle (2001). African Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 1979-1999. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Elhanan Helpman (2004). The Mystery of Economic Growth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Eek. These are the two books we will write critical book reviews of:

Dambisa Moyo (2009). Dead Aid. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Paul Collier (2007). The Bottom Billion. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Recommended books:

This is a concise history of Africa:

John Iliffe (2007). Africans: The History of a Continent. Cambridge University Press.

These were written by William Easterly, who is a ROCK STAR in the developmental economics world (...or maybe just mine-and by mine, I mean Elise), so you should read these.

William Easterly (2001). The Elusive Quest for Economic Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics. Cambridge, MIT Press.
William Easterly (2006). The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill, and So Little Good. New York, Penguin Press.

These are available FREE online. Yipeee!

Mkandawire, T. and C. Soludo (1999). Our Continent, Our Future: African Perspectives on Structural Adjustment Trenton, Africa World Press. (Gorgas Library)
Center for Global Development, The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President

Weekly Readings:

If a reading is 'required' you should read it. Duh.

Week 1: Introduction

Required

Binyavanga Wainaina (2005). How to Write About Africa. Granta. London, Granta Publications. 92.
Moss, Chapters 1 & 6
Maddison, Angus. 2001. “The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective” OECD. Chapters 1 and 3

Mkandawire & Soludo, Chapter 1
Benno Ndulu and Stephen O’Connell (2008). “Policy Plus: African Growth Performance 1960-2000,” inThe Political Economy of Economic Growth in Africa, 1960-2000. Edited by B. J. Ndulu et al.
Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo (2006). “The Economic Lives of the Poor,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1), 141-167

Week 2: Theories of growth and development

Required

William Easterly (2009) “Can the West Save Africa?,” Journal of Economic Literature 47(2). Read sections 1 and 2 (p.373–391) and skim section 3.
Elhanan Helpman, “The Mystery of Economic Growth,” Chapters 1-4 (p. 1-54).
Michael Todaro and Stephen Smith (2009). Economic Development. 10 ed. New York: Addison Wesley.Chapter 4.

Perkins, Dwight H., Steven Radelet, and David L. Lindauer. 2006. Economics of development. 6 ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. (Chapter 3)
Moss, Chapter 10 (p 163-177 only)
Amartya Sen. 1999. Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, “Growth Theory Through the Lens of Development Economics”
Pritchett, Lant. 1997. “Divergence, Big Time” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 11 (3):3-17.

Week 3: Initial conditions

Required

Jared Diamond (1997). Guns, Germs, and Steel. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. (Chapter 4)
Jeffrey Herbst, States and Power in Africa, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000. (Chapter 5)
Sachs, Jeffrey D., Andrew D. Mellinger, and John L. Gallup. 2001. “The geography of poverty and wealth.” Scientific American 284 (3):70-5.
Stanley L. Engerman and Kenneth L. Sokoloff, Factor Endowments, Inequality, and Paths of Development among New World Economies, Economia, Fall 2002
Acemoglu, D., S. Johnson, et al. (2003). “Disease and Development in Historical Perspective.” Journal of the European Economic Association 1(2-3): 397-405.

W. Easterly and R. Levine, “Tropics, germs, and crops: the role of endowments in economic development” Journal of Monetary Economics, 50:1, January 2003.
Nathan Nunn and Diego Puga (2009) “Ruggedness: The Blessing of Bad Geography in Africa“
Nathan Nunn and Nancy Qian (2009), “The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas“

Week 4: Interlude: The AIDS Crisis

**Map quiz in section this week

Guest speaker (Feb 3): Jimmy Kolker, Chief of UNICEF AIDS and U.S. Ambassador to Uganda (2002-2005) and to Burkina Faso (1999-2002). See bio.

Required

UNAIDS, WHO. AIDS Epidemic Update 2009 (Sub-Saharan Africa chapter only, p 21-36)
Ruth Levine and Nandini Oomman. “Global HIV/AIDS Funding and Health Systems: Searching for the Win-Win”. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes: November 2009 – Volume 52 – Issue – pp S3-S5
Daniel Halperin and Helen Epstein (2004). “Concurrent sexual partnerships help to explain Africa’s high HIV prevalence: implications for prevention”. The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9428, p.4-6.
Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala “Cultural scripts for multiple and concurrent partnerships in southern Africa: why HIV prevention needs anthropology” Sexual Health 2009; 6: 103–110.
Elizabeth Pisani (2008). The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS. New York, WW Norton & Company. (Chapter 4)
Donald G. McNeil Jr. “Obama Is Criticized on AIDS Program” The New York Times, Dec 8, 2009.

Moss, Chapter 10 (p 177‐183 only)
Colleen Denny and Ezekiel Emanuel (2008). “US Health Aid Beyond PEPFAR: The Mother & Child Campaign” JAMA 300(17): 2048-2051
Epstein, Helen. “The Invisible Cure: Why We Are Losing the Fight Against AIDS in Africa”, 2008.
Video, “The HIV Superhighway”, DKT-Ethiopia: Part 1 and Part 2.
Sean M. Doylea, James G. Kahnb, Nap Hosangd, Peter R. Carroll. “The Impact of Male Circumcision on HIV Transmission” The Journal of Urology Volume 183, Issue 1, Pages 21-26 (January 2010)
Alan Whiteside and Julia Smith. “Exceptional epidemics: AIDS still deserves a global response”Globalization and Health 2009, 5:15
PEPFAR, “The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: Five-Year Strategy”. December 2009
UNICEF, UNAIDS, WHO, UNFPA. Children and AIDS: Fourth Stocktaking Report 2009
Mead Over (2008). Opportunities for Presidential Leadership on AIDS: From an “Emergency Plan” to a Sustainable Policy (White House and the World Policy Brief)
TED talks by Seyi Oyesola and Ernest Madu

Week 5: The legacies of slavery and colonialism

Required

Moss, Chapter 2
Mahmood Mamdani, “Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism, “Princeton 1996 (Chapter 2)
Jomo Kenyatta, Facing Mount Kenya, p. 305-6 only
James A. Robinson (2002). “States and Power in Africa by Jeffrey I. Herbst: A Review Essay.” Journal of Economic Literature 40(2): 510-519.
Crawford Young (2004). “The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics.” African Affairs 103(410). p.23-29 only.
Elhanan Helpman, “The Mystery of Economic Growth,” Chapter 7.
Skim main idea behind: Nathan Nunn, The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades

William Easterly, Alberto Alesina and J. Matuszeski, “Artificial States”, in the Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming
Iliffe, Chapters 9 & 10
Mahmood Mamdani, Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism, Princeton 1996 (Chapters 1 and 3)
Franz Fanon (2004). The Wretched of the Earth, Grove Press.
Nicola Gennaiolo and Ilia Rainer, “The Modern Impact of Precolonial Centralization in Africa,”

Week 6: Independence and the politics of personal rule

Required

Moss, Chapter 3
Fred Hayward. 1986. “In Search of Stability: Independence and Experimentation.” in The Africans: A Reader, ed. A. A. Mazrui et al. New York: Praeger Publishers. (Chapter 6, including readings 6.1 to 6.4, especially those by Nyerere and Nkrumah)
Jackson, R. H. and C. G. Rosberg (1994). “The Political Economy of African Personal Rule.” Political Development and the New Realism in Sub-Saharan Africa. p.291-322.
Crawford Young (2004). “The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics.” African Affairs 103(410): p29-41 only.
George Ayittey (2005). Africa Unchained, Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapter 3)

van de Walle, Introduction
Barkan, Joel D. 2009. “Legislatures, Term Limits and the Containment of Neo-Patrimonialism in Africa.” In Rethinking Development Conference (25 January). Yale University. (p. 13-28 only)
Iliffe, Chapter 11
George Ayittey (2005). Africa Unchained, Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapters 5 and 6)

Week 7: Crisis, conflict and reform

Required

van de Walle, Chapters 1-4
Ravi Kanbur (2008). “The Co-Evolution of the Washington Consensus and the Economic Development Discourse”.

Moss, Chapters 4 & 7
Mkandawire & Soludo, Chapters 2 & 3
Donald Gordon (2007). “African Politics.” Chapter 4 in Understanding Contemporary Africa. A. A. Gordon and D. L. Gordon. London, Lynne Rienner Publishers: 86-107 only.
Williamson, John: What Washington Means by Policy Reform, in: Williamson, John (ed.): Latin American Readjustment: How Much has Happened, Washington: Institute for International Economics 1989.

Week 8: Foreign aid and the aid industry

Required

Steven Radelet (2006). A Primer on Foreign Aid, CGD Working Paper 92.
UN Millennium Project, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals, January 2005 (Chapters 1 and 2)
Michael Clemens and Todd Moss (2005). What’s Wrong with the Millennium Development Goals? CGD Brief.
George Ayittey (1998). Africa in Chaos. (Chapter 8)
van de Walle, Chapter 5

Moss, Chapter 8
Eric Werker and Faisal Z. Ahmed (2008). “What Do Nongovernmental Organizations Do?” Journal of Economic Perspectives 22:2.
Nancy Birdsall (2004). Seven Deadly Sins: Reflections on Donor Failings, CGD Working Paper 50.
Joseph E. Stiglitz (2003). Globalization and Its Discontents. (Chapter 1)
Development Drums, Episode 6
Alesina, A. and D. Dollar (2000). “Who Gives Foreign Aid to Whom and Why?” Journal of Economic Growth, 5, 33-64.
William Easterly and Tobias Pfutze, Where Does the Money Go? Best and Worst Practices in Foreign Aid” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 22, No.2, Spring 2008

Week 9: Aid, accountability, and reform: Perspectives from Africa

Guest speaker: Andrew Mwenda (Mar 22 & 24), a Ugandan journalist, editor, activist and scholar. See his bio, TED profile, or newspaper.

Required

Mkandawire & Soludo, Chapter 4
Podcast with Binyavanga Wainaina: “The Ethics of Aid: One Kenyan’s Perspective” (or see transcript)
Two video shorts by Ayaan Hirsi Ali: ”Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the Industrialization of Africa” and “What is the legacy of colonialism in Africa” (NOTE: these are not the first video that shows up, but are down the list)
Mahmood Mamdani. 1992. “Africa: Democratic Theory and Democratic Struggles.” Economic and Political Weekly, 27:41, pp. 2228-32.
TED Talk: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on aid versus trade

Daniel Etounga-Manguelle (2000). Does Africa Need a Cultural Adjustment Program? Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress. L. E. Harrison and S. P. Huntington. New York, Basic Books: 65–77.
TED talk: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on doing business in Africa
William Easterly (2006). “The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill, and So Little Good.” New York, Penguin Press.
Alex de Waal (1997). “Famine crimes: Politics & the disaster relief industry in Africa.” London : African Rights & the International African Institute.

March 26: First book review due. Review Dambisa Moyo’s book, Dead Aid. E-mail your review to your section leader before 4pm EST, and submit a hard copy to his or her mailbox.

Week 10: Aid, democratization, and reform: A perspective from the West

Guest speaker: Nazanin Ash (Mar 29), US Secretary of State Policy Planning Staff and former Chief of Staff to the first Director of Foreign Assistance and Administrator of USAID. See bio.

Required

Moss, Chapter 5
van de Walle, Chapter 6
William Easterly (2008). “Can the West Save Africa?” Journal of Economic Literature. Sections 3 to end.
Charles Kenny (2009). “Think Again: Africa’s Crisis,” Foreign Policy Magazine.

Dani Rodrik (2006). “Goodbye Washington Consensus, Hello Washington Confusion? A Review of the World Bank’s Economic Growth in the 1990s: Learning from a Decade of Reform”. Journal of Economic Literature
Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson. 2002. “An African Success Story: Botswana.” In In Search of Prosperity: Analytic Narratives on Economic Growth, ed. D. Rodrik. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Ostrom, Elinor, Clark Gibson, Sujai Shivakumar, and Krister Andersson. 2002. “Aid, Incentives, and Sustainability: An Institutional Analysis of Development Cooperation (Summary Report).” Sida Studies in Evaluation 02/01:1.

Week 11: Private sector development

Guest speaker: Abebe Aemro Selassie (Apr 5), IMF representative to South Africa

Required

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Statement to the UN General Assembly, 23 Sept 2008.
Thandika Mkandawire (2005), Maladjusted African Economies and Globalisation, Africa Development, Vol XXX, Nos 1 & 2, 2005, pp 1- 33.
Vijaya Ramachandran (2008). Power and Roads for Africa, CGD Essay
Dani Rodrik (2007). Industrial Policy for the 21^st Century, in “One economics, many recipes: Globalization, institutions, and economic growth”. Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Adrian Wood and Kate Jordan, 2000, “Why Does Zimbabwe Export Manufactures and Uganda Not? Econometrics Meets History,” The Journal of Development Studies, vol.27 (2), pages 91 – 116.
Moss, Chapter 13

Selassie, Abebe Aemro. 2008. “Beyond Macroeconomic Stability: The Quest for Industrialization in Uganda.” IMF Working Paper 08 (231).
Moss, Chapter 12
Johnson-Sirleaf, E. and N. Oppenheimer (2008). Aid Is Good, Business Is Better. International Herald Tribune.
TED talks by Jacqueline Novogratz, Eleni Gabre-Madhin, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Dani Rodrik (2007). The Global Governance of Trade as if Development Really Mattered, in One economics, many recipes: globalization, institutions, and economic growth. Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Benn Eifert, Alan Gelb and Vijaya Ramachandran, Business Environment and Comparative Advantage in Africa: Evidence from the Investment Climate Data, CGD Working Paper 56
World Bank, 2005 World Development Report – A Better Investment Climate for All (Chapter 1)

Week 12: Failed states and civil war

Required

Human Security Report (2007). Chapter 2 – Towards A New Peace in Africa?
Robert H. Bates (2008). When Things Fell Apart: State Failure in Late-Century Africa. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 2)
Amos Sawyer (2004). “Violent conflicts and governance challenges in West Africa: the case of the Mano River basin area.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 42(03). p.437-453 only.
Crawford Young (2004). “The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics.” African Affairs 103(410): p.41-49.
Moss, Chapter 4

Bates, Robert, Avner Greif, and Smita Singh. 2002. “Organizing Violence.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 46 (5):599-628.
Crawford Young (2002). “Deciphering Disorder in Africa: Is Identity the Key?” World Politics 54(4).
View at least one TED talk by either Ory Okolloh or Ashraf Ghani
Jeffrey Herbst, States and Power in Africa, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Catherine Boone (2003). “Political Topographies of the African State,” Cambridge University Press.
Pierre Englebert (2002). State Legitimacy and Development in Africa, London: Lynne Reinner.
Christopher Blattman and Edward Miguel, “Civil War,” forthcoming in Journal of Economic Literature

Week 13: New democracies, state building, and conclusions

Required

van de Walle, Chapter 7
Claude Ake, “The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa”, p. 75-92 only.
Amos Sawyer (2004). “Violent conflicts and governance challenges in West Africa: the case of the Mano River basin area.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 42(03). p.453-463 only.
Weinstein, Jeremy M. 2005. “Autonomous Recovery and International Intervention in Comparative Perspective.” Center for Global Development Working Paper 57.
Bates, Robert H., John H. Coatsworth, and Jeffrey G. Williamson. 2007. “Lost Decades: Postindependence Performance in Latin America and Africa.” The Journal of Economic History.

Moss, Chapters 11 and 14
TED Talk by Euvin Naidoo: Africa as an investment
Valerie Bockstette, Areendam Chanda, and Louis Putterman (2002). States and Markets: the Advantage of an Early Start, Journal of Economic Growth, 7, 347-369
Page Fortna (2004). Interstate Peacekeeping: Causal Mechanisms and Empirical Effects, World Politics Vol. 56, No. 4, July 2004.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Steven Radelet. 2008. “The Good News Out of Africa: Democracy, Stability, and the Renewal of Growth and Development.” Center for Global Development Essay (February).
George Ayittey (2005). Africa Unchained, Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapters 8 to 11)

May 4: Second book review due

Review Paul Collier’s book, The Bottom Billion, especially the last half (Chapters 6 to 11). E-mail your review to your section leader before 4pm EST, and submit a hard copy to his or her mailbox