Theodore Ahlers & Harinder S. Kohli (eds.), Africa Reset: A New Way Forward

Abstract

Abstract. The African continent for long has been an enigma for development economists, with several countries witnessing coexistence of rich natural resource base, pockets of underdevelopment and political instability. With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a target, it is now imperative that the African countries, particularly the nations facing development challenges,need to contemplate and adopt a long-term action plan. However, the existing literature suggests that addressing the concerns of African countries requires both structural and regulatory reforms. Given the proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in the world today, along with deepening of de-globalizing forces, the practical concern for the African countries is to increasingly participate in Global Value Chains (GVCs) and International Production Networks (IPNs), enhance value-addition within the domestic economy, promote equality in opportunitiesand create employment for the growing young population therein. In a sense Africa is at a juncture, where Asia stood several decades back. The volume edited by Ahlers and Kohli, an attempt to analyze the reform and consequently the growth path in Africa, is therefore a timely contribution to the existing literature..

Keywords. Political economy, Economic thought, Politics, Economic system.

JEL. B10, L66, Q18.