The global health emergency reflects systemic global inequalities central to which is social stratification in Africa. While existing analyses frame Africa as needy of global ‘help’, this editorial argues that whether in terms of the economics of inequality, pandemics, or recovery, Africa can tea... Read More

This interview essay focuses on Daniel W. Bromley’s contribution to African economics and political economy. Centred particularly on his work on inequality, equality, and the institutional foundations of economic systems; economic development; and natural resources, which are Professor Bromley’s... Read More

The increasing focus on global inequality should not shift attention away from poverty. Together with growth, it is, perhaps, their interrelationships that require continuing focus. Using World Bank data, this paper, first, examines Africa’s record on poverty incidence, spread and severity since ... Read More

South Africa is an example of a developing country where there is substantial variation in household size and composition by income class and by race. However, inequality measures which are typically derived from per capita adjustments are insensitive to these variations. In this study, we estima... Read More

Guinea-Bissau is among the world’s most unequal countries. Its use of the CFA currency, pegged to the euro and controlled by France, raises continuing concern. This paper investigates the impact of joining the C.F.A zone (1997) on Guinea-Bissau per capita GDP, fisheries capture, and rice yields. ... Read More

From the standpoint of this paper, a central problem of development in Africa is the fact that the very norm of development, as a people’s aspiration, is not conceived of at the African level, but at the international level, by institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fu... Read More

South Africa is notorious for numerous persistent economic problems of inequality, poverty and high unemployment. The country is simultaneously praised for a well-developed financial sector that provides a sophisticated array of financial products. Financial inclusion plays an important role to e... Read More

The quality of work is central to the growing inequalities in Africa and the world. Central to concerns about the decline in ‘labour share’ is the notion of decent work. In 1999, the International Labour Organisation coined the term ‘decent work’. The purpose of the Decent Work Agenda was not onl... Read More

This comment examines the paper titled 'Progress on poverty in Africa: How have growth and inequality mattered?' (Fosu and Gafa, this issue of AREF). Although the authors have made good use of existing data to reveal various issues related to income inequality, economic growth, and poverty in Af... Read More

Academic articles are hardly read these days. Engaging them carefully is a rare academic ritual. Commenting on them is almost an extinct practice, especially if the commentator is esteemed. Within this context, we very much appreciate the valuable commentary made by Dr. John Mukum Mbaku, a Brady ... Read More

This commentary reflects critically on the issues raised by ‘Rethinking the idea of independent development and self-reliance in Africa’ (Nwoke, 2020, this issue of AREF), which offers a timely reminder of the nature, scale and extent of reforms inherent in meaningful development regime change. I... Read More

This essay reviews Frank Stilwell’s important new contribution to the academic and policy debate over the causes and consequences of growing inequality in contemporary capitalism, including in the Global South. Read More

South Africa is something of a paradox in the study of global inequality. In spite of the African National Congress (ANC), the leading force in the anti-apartheid movement, winning an overwhelming victory in the 1994 elections promising to end inequality in the world’s most unequal country and a ... Read More

Franklin Obeng-Odoom's book should be read, both by academics working in the fields of development economics, growth, international economics, socioeconomics, and institutionalism, and by non-economists devoted to Africa. I particularly recommend the book to students, particularly those studying ... Read More