ISBN : 9780198744795
While the economic growth renaissance in sub-Saharan Africa is widely recognized, much less is known about progress in living conditions. This book comprehensively evaluates trends in living conditions in 16 major sub-Saharan African countries, corresponding to nearly 75% of the total population. A striking diversity of experience emerges. While monetary indicators improved in many countries, others are yet to succeed in channeling the benefits of economic growth into the pockets of the poor. Some countries experienced little economic growth, and saw little material progress for the poor. At the same time, the large majority of countries have made impressive progress in key non-monetary indicators of wellbeing. Overall, the African growth renaissance earns two cheers, but not three. While gains in macroeconomic and political stability are real, they are also fragile. Growth on a per capita basis is much better than in the 1980s and 1990s, yet not rapid compared with other developing regions. Importantly from a pan-African perspective, key economies-particularly Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa-are not among the better performers. Looking forward, realistic expectations are required. The development process is, almost always, a long hard slog. Nevertheless, real and durable factors appear to be at play on the sub-continent with positive implications for growth and poverty reduction in future.
1 Channing Arndt, Andy McKay, and Finn Tarp: Growth and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa
2 Channing Arndt, Andy McKay, and Finn Tarp: Synthesis: Two Cheers for the African Growth Renaissance (but not three)
GROUP 1: Rapid Growth and Rapid Poverty Reduction
3 David Stifel and Tassew Woldehanna: Poverty in Ethiopia, 2000-11: Welfare Improvements in a Changing Economic Landscape
4 Andy McKay, Jukka Pirttila, and Finn Tarp: Ghana: Poverty Reduction over Thirty Years
5 Karl Pauw, Ulrik Beck, and Richard Mussa: Did Rapid Smallholder-led Agricultural Growth Fail to Reduce Rural Poverty? Making Sense of Malawi's Poverty Puzzle
6 Andy McKay and Marijke Verpoorten: Growth, Poverty Reduction, and Inequality in Rwanda
7 Bjorn Van Campenhout, Haruna Sekabira, and Dede Houeto Aduayom: Poverty and its Dynamics in Uganda: Explorations using a New Set of Poverty Lines
GROUP 2: Rapid Growth but Limited Poverty Reduction
8 Michael Grimm, Claude Wetta, and Aude Nikiema: Burkina Faso: Shipping Around the Malthusian Trap
9 Channing Arndt, E. Samuel Jones, and Finn Tarp: Mozambique: Off-track or Temporarily Sidelined?
10 Olu Ajakaiye, Afeikhena T. Jerome, Olanrewaju Olaniyan, Kristi Mahrt, and Olufunke A. Alaba: Spatial and Temporal Multidimensional Poverty in Nigeria
11 Channing Arndt, Lionel Demery, Andy McKay, and Finn Tarp: Growth and Poverty Reduction in Tanzania
12 Gibson Masumbu and Kristi Mahrt: Assessing Progress in Welfare Improvements in Zambia: A Multidimensional Approach
GROUP 3: Uninspiring/Negative Growth and Poverty Reduction
13 Samuel Fambon, Andy McKay, Joseph-Pierre Timnou, Olive Stephanie Kouakep, Anaclet Desire Dzossa, and Romain Tchakoute Ngoho: Slow Progress in Growth and Poverty Reduction in Cameroon
14 Denis Cogneau, Kenneth Houngbedji, and Sandrine Mesple-Somps: The Fall of the Elephant: Two Decades of Poverty Increase in Cote d'Ivoire, 1988-2008
15 Arne Bigsten, Damiano Kulundu Manda, Germano Mwabu, and Anthony Wambugu: Incomes, Inequality, and Poverty in Kenya: A Long-Term Perspective
16 David Stifel, Tiaray Razafimanantena, and Faly Rakotomanana: Utility-Consistent Poverty in Madagascar, 2001-10: Snapshots in the Presence of Multiple Economy-Wide Shocks
17 Murray Leibbrandt, Arden Finn, and Morne Oosthuizen: Poverty, Inequality, and Prices in Post-Apartheid South Africa
GROUP 4: Low Information Countries
18 Kristi Mahrt and Malokele Nanivazo: Growth and Poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo: 2001-13
