bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kuwaiti Aid to Africa
Authors: Mallakh Ragaei El
Published: November 2008

The economic aid programmes of Kuwait should be viewed within the context of that country's economic status, which cannot be described as either ‘developing’ or ‘developed’. Indeed, such simple classifications fail to allow for a situation in which a nation might be developed in certain aspects yet be ‘under-developed’ in others. Criteria which generally indicate a developed economy include a high income per capita, a high rate of economic growth and a sound external financial situation. The Kuwaiti economy fulfils these requirements. In 1964 the income per capita reached $3,275 in Kuwait as compared to $3,221 for the United States and $2,161 for Sweden. An average annual growth rate reaching eight per cent can be claimed, which is about double that of the highly industrialised world powers. The Kuwaiti balance of payments is most favourable if compared with that of many ‘developed’ nations. Furthermore, it spends over 20 per cent of its national income on economic aid programmes.
Planning in Africa
Authors: Ben-Amor Abdelmalek , Clairmonte Frederick
Published: November 2008

Economic planning is now a commonly acclaimed ideal in the underdeveloped countries, particularly in Africa. Both the theory and the practice were transmitted by the developed countries. Certainly, the advanced economies have very different conceptions of planning, depending on whether they are centrally planned or market-oriented. The former embrace economic planning by ideological predilection; the latter are moving in the direction of ‘indicative’ planning, or at least state intervention on an extended scale. This course was induced by the goad of the crisis-ridden years of the great depression, the exigencies of World War II, the pressures of post-war reconstruction, and the stupendous technological and organisational revolution of our times. In the metropolitan countries—France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom—the idea and practice of economic planning was propagated to the colonies during and after the war.
World Population Conference
Authors: Boserup Møgens
Published: November 2008

This was the second time demographers from all over the world had been brought together under the joint auspices of the United Nations and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. The first was in Rome, in 1954. The progress made over this decade is indeed tremendous. To begin with, the difference is one of sheer dimension: at the Belgrade conference more than oo papers were presented, including a large number of extremely valuable background papers, and the number of participants was around 800.
Sovereignty and Underdevelopment: Juridical Statehood in the African Crisis
Authors: Jackson Robert H. , Rosberg Carl G.
Published: November 2008

When we speak of ‘the state’ in Tropical Africa today, we are apt to create an illusion. Ordinarily the term denotes an independent political structure of sufficient authority and power to govern a defined territory and its population: empirical statehood. This is the prevailing notion of the state in modern political, legal, and social theory1, and it is a fairly close approximation to historical fact in many parts of the world – not only in Europe and North America, where modern states first developed and are deeply rooted, but also in some countries of South America, the Middle East, and Asia, where they have more recently emerged. The state is an inescapable reality. The military credibility of Argentina during the Falklands war, when it was by no means certain that Britain would prevail against its air force, is an indication of the reality of the state in some parts of the Third World today.
Custom and Coups: a Juridical Interpretation of Civil Order and Disorder in Ghana
Authors: Owusu Maxwell
Published: November 2008

The rich empirical and historical evidence available on the various popular movements that arose in the Gold Coast, especially since the turn of the nineteenth century, mainly in order to demand political and economic reforms,1 as well as the implications of the post-colonial cycle of military coups d'état and counter-coups in Africa, is critically re-analysed and reinterpreted to advance the following related theses:
African Food Imports and Food Production: an Erroneous Interpretation
Authors: Shatz Sayre P.
Published: November 2008

Knowledge of what actually transpires in African economies is soft. This is particularly true of the vitally important agricultural sector, where statistics are especially weak. Given the paucity and unreliability of the data, analysts often make inferences on the basis of surrogate figures, a process which multiplies the probability of mistakes. This note shows that such an error has been made in the interpretation of African food-import data, and that its correction casts doubt on a widely accepted nation concering African food Production.
The Legitimation Crisis of the South African State
Authors: Moodley Kogila
Published: November 2008

On 21 March 1985, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the infamous Sharpevile incident, South African police, without provocation or warning, killed 20 unarmed black marchers at Langa in the Eastern Cape. Most were shot in the back. The outnumbered contingent of white and black police with two armoured vehicles, felt that the blacks, on their way to a funeral, would threaten the white township.

The repetition of this crudest form of state violence against politicised youngsters and workers, threatened by recession after two-and-a-half decades of anti-apartheid opposition, suggests that little has changed in the repression by a minority ré. The rulers command the guns and the subordinates are left wiht no alternative but to submit or perish.
In Search of Development: Some Directions for Further Investigation
Authors: Ergas Zaki
Published: November 2008

The rapidly deteriorating social and economic situation in sub-Saharan Africa, and the need for large-scale action to reverse that ominous trend, are captured well in the following paragraph:

It is becoming evident that Africa is in a state of breathtaking and grievous crisis whose… likes may not have been seen anywhere in the West since the 14th century Plague. Twenty-nine of the world's 36 poorest nations are to be found south of the Sahara desert… and 24 of them are now appealing for emergency aid to ward off famine… The percentage of Africans living in absolute poverty rose from 82 percent to 91 percent through the 1970s. In 1983 per capita food production was down by 14 percent from 1981. Five million Africans are currently refugees. Five million African children died this year; another five million were crippled by malnutrition and disease.
The Williamson Diamond Mine, De Beers, and the Colonial Office: a Case-Study of the Quest for Control
Authors: Knight John , Stevenson Heather
Published: November 2008

The diamond industry is perhaps the most successful commodity cartel of the twentieth century. It is not, and has not been since the turn of the century, a monopoly in production: De Beers has normally been the major, but by no means the only, producer. The cartel has been maintained by the system of ‘distribution through one channel’, the Central Selling Organisation (C.S.O.), a subsidiary of De Beers.
Urban Riots in West Africa, 1977–85
Authors: Wiseman John
Published: November 2008

My aim is to examine one particular mode of political participation: the urban riot. In the West African context its importance is enhanced by the fact that there exist few, if any, other ways in which the mass of the population can participate in the political process and seek to bring some influence to bear upon governments. For most of the time, in the majority of states in the region, constitutional mechanisms for influencing governments have been largely absent due to the prevailing climate of political authoritarianism. Only in the Gambia have competitive parties operated throughout the last 10 years, although a few other states (Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Senegal) have had this type of democratic system for part of the time. For the rest, single-party or military rule has held sway, and opportunities for influencing, or indeed replacing, governments through the ballot box have been marked by their absence. Authoritarianism has extended not only to opposition parties — or, in the case of the military, any political organisation — but also to autonomous or semi-independent pressure groups, which have in general been fairly weak, even where not banned altogether.
African in the Debt Trap: Which Way Out?
Authors: Parfitt Trevor W. , Riley Stephen P.
Published: November 2008

At the October 1985 meeting in Seoul of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, African delegates insisted that ‘the economic situation is the worst in recent history’.Indeed, it is now widely accepted that the states and peoples of sub-Saharan Africa are in the midst of a crisis of unprecedented magnitude that has been caused by both short-term and long-range factors. Domestic food production has been declining, whilst food imports have increased, and this has exacerbated the televised disasters of drought and famine. The recession in western countries has led to a decline in the external demand for African primary products. Export volumes and values have decreased overall, producing significant fiscal problems, and the resulting foreign-exchange shortages have meant industrial stoppages, an inability to replace infrastructures, and a decline in the gross domestic product.
Sixty Coups in Thirty Years – Further Evidence Regarding African Military Coups d'État
Authors: McGowan Pat , Johnson Thomas H.
Published: November 2008

Decolonisation in sub-Saharan Africa began in January 1956 when the Sudan joined long-independent Ethiopia and Liberia as a new, post-colonial state. Although the process is not yet complete because of the disputed status of Namibia and South Africa's continued rule by a white minority, over the past 30 years as many as 43 new states have achieved independence from colonial rule, the most recent being Zimbabwe in April 1980.
Fanon and Africa: a Retrospect
Authors: Wright Derek
Published: November 2008

The work of Frantz Fanon, who died 25 years ago, was the locus of many clashing contradictions. There were many Fanons, living uneasily together. The prophet of a cleansing revolutionary violence, which would re-unite what lethargic white self-interest had put asunder, found strange company in the psychiatrist whose case-histories recorded its traumatic effects: violence was both socially regenerative and personally degenerative, a renovating healer and a destructive sickness, a mystical release and a dehumanising barbarity. The devotee of French culture reviled French colonialism, and the humanitarian realist who acknowledged the revolutionary sacrifices of Algeria's Europeans was no doubt uncomfortable about the partisan propagandist whose necessary racism could not afford concessions to white altruism. Most relevant to the situation and prospects of independent Africa, however, was the deadlocked struggle fought between the committed nationalist in Fanon and the pan-Africanist who sought to make the nation the magical springboard into continental unity.
Land-Tenure Reform in Kenya: the Limits of Law
Authors: Coldham Simon F. R.
Published: November 2008

Most Africans in Kenya have always lived and worked on the land, and until fairly recently their land-tenure arrangements have been governed by customary law. Colonial administrators were divided about the desirability of granting individual titles to African farmers, and concentrated their efforts on persuading them to plant cash-crops, to fight soil erosion and, where necessary, to consolidate their holdings. It was only in the mid-1950s, when large-scale compulsory land consolidation schemes were initiated in the Kikuyu Land Unit, that serious thought was given to the nature of the title which the owner of a consolidated holding would acquire.1 The East Africa Royal Commission advocated the adjudication and registration of individual titles in suitable areas,2 and eventually a working party was appointed to consider what legislation would be necessary to implement this recommendation. As a result of its report,3 a system of registration of title based on the English model was introduced. Once the processes of adjudicacation and consolidation have been completed, the title of the owner is registered and, where appropriate, any interests not amounting to ownership are also entered on the Land Register. The land thereupon ceases to be subject to customary law,4 and is governed instead by the complete code of substantive law – based broadly on English law – which is contained today in the Registered Land Act, 1963.
Industrial Decentralisation and the Dynamics of Forced Labour in South Africa
Authors: Belcher Timothy
Published: November 2008

In the 1950s the South African Government developed a broad strategy aimed at maintaining the supply of forced labour, namedapartheidor ‘separate development’. Much more than a system of segregation, the programme involved moving large numbers of Africans from the urban centres into the underdeveloped Reserves, comprising 14 per cent of the least arable land in South Africa. Industry would then be shifted to the borders of these Bantustans. This last element of the scheme, the policy of industrial decentralisation, has been the main instrument for providing income to Africans in the rural areas. By examining this element in South African state planning, within the context of theapartheidsystem as a whole, I have tried to isolate some of the crucial dynamics of forced labour.
Trends in the Relationship between Urbanisation and Development in Africa
Authors: Laidlaw Karen A. , Stockwell Edward G.
Published: November 2008

It can be suggested that the ‘economic development’ of most Third-World nations today will be reflected in two distinct but interrelated processes: (1) a rise in economic productivity and in real incomes, and (2) a reduction in fertility and a corresponding slowing down in the rate of population growth.1 Historically, an increase in both the number of cities in a country and the number and proportion of the population living there, has been closely associated with both these processes. Accordingly, as urbanisation proceeds in Africa it might logically be assumed that economic growth and demographic modernisation are also taking place. It is our purpose in this brief article to offer a partial explanation for the fact that this historical association has not characterised recent trends in the continent.
Villagisation and the 1974–6 Economic Crisis in Tanzania
Authors: Briggs John
Published: November 2008

Since 1967, the year of the Arusha Declaration, Tanzania's rural policy has provided a major focus for scholars interested in the problems of development in the Third World.1Jonathan Barker has noted that many writers on Tanzania's rural policy fall into one of two camps: ‘production socialists’ who make the basic assumption that communal productionper seis desirable, and concentrate much of their research activity on the various social and political constraints; and ‘production liberals’ who are generally sceptical of the effectiveness of communal production, and they would prefer to see greater emphasis placed on the ‘self-improvement motive of families and individuals’.2
Sisters under the Skin: Women and the Women's League in Zambia
Authors: Geisler Gisela
Published: November 2008

In March 1985 the Second National Women's Rights Conference was held on the Copperbelt. Although Betty Kaunda, wife of the President, addressed the 135 participants in her opening speech as if they were representing the Women's League of the United National Independence Party (U.N.I.P.), surprisingly only two of them, apart from the invited guests of honour, claimed to be associated with this organisation. Hardly any of the issues raised by the League entered the discussions during the three-day conference, and the recommendations were far form being a reflection of its stated aims.1
The Development of a Local Machinery Industry in Kenya
Authors: Matthews Ron
Published: November 2008

There is a little-known machinery-producing sector in Kenya that not only continues to survive but even to prosper, at least in pockets, albeit not impervious to the enumerable constraints which dog the local market. The success stories are few, however. It would indeed be surprising if this were otherwise, considering the nature of the overall economy, since industrialisation is constrained not only by the obvious limits of domestic demand, but also by the official preference given to the development of traditional exports, which has meant that the intensity of the industrialisation drive has been weakened by progressive reliance on the foreign-exchange earnings of cash crops.1 This increasing dependence is ironic in view of the fact that the stimulus for this kind of industrialisation is often precisely to diversify the economy away from the reliance on traditional primary exports.2
Guinea-Bissau Since Independence: A Decade of Domestic Power Struggles
Authors: Forrest Joshua B.
Published: November 2008

Amílcar Cabral was perhaps the foremost political thinker to emerge out of the many independence movements of post-World War II Africa. His insightful theory of class struggle in the continent, his informative analysis of the history of Guinea-Bissau, his original concept of ‘class suicide’, and his notion of the relationship between national liberation and culture,1 helped convince many scholars of the viability of a class and ideological approach to the study of African politics.2
Interpreting the Exceptionality of Botswana
Authors: Good Kenneth
Published: November 2008

Botswana has achieved rapid growth with stability since independence in 1966, largely through the supportive interrelations between an open market economy and a system of élite democracy, successfully blending ‘traditional’ and modern elements, and offering a range of fairly free and meaningful political choices. But growth, and the policies of a selectively interventionist state, have produced increasingly deep inequalities of property and incomes, posing problems for the stability of the political economy in future.
Who Is Losing Out? Structural Adjustment, Gender, and the Agricultural Sector in Zambia
Authors: Geisler Gisela
Published: November 2008

In Zambia's first multi-party elections for two decades, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (M.M.D.) won a landslide victory over Kenneth Kaunda's United Independence Party (U.N.I.P) on 31 October 1991. Many observers believe that the sweeping 80 per cent majority gained by Frederick Chiluba and his M.M.D. in both urban and rural areas was to a large degree due to the increasing economic hardships most Zambians have been subjected to over the last years. The opposition's slogan ‘The Hour Has Come’ captured the mood of many who had lost patience with the gross economic mismanagement and wastefulness that characterised the Government.
The Rôle of the Judiciary in the Constitutional Systems of East Africa
Authors: Pfeiffer Steven B.
Published: November 2008

From the late 1950s until the present day the territories, colonies, and later the new states of English-speaking Africa have been engaged in a continuing effort to develop their own national constitutions. It has been an attempt to capture in written form the government structures and political systems which would best express their political will and guide them through the difficult early years of independence.
The Rôle of Colonial and Post-Colonial States in Imperialism – a Case-Study of the Sierra Leone Development Company
Authors: Hoogvelt Ankie M. M. , Tinker Anthony M.
Published: November 2008

‘The events of recent years have brought out the conflicts that can arise between the continuing pressures for political independence and the inescapable truths of economic interdependence in the modern world’. – Recent words from the horse's mouth, to wit the British– North American Committee, consisting of some 100 leading industrialists of the western world who view with alarm the strong desire on the part of the emerging nations to exercise ever-greater control over their own mineral resources. In a concise report, they sternly remind the governments of developing countries of the dire consequences of the hostile attitude to foreign investors as expressed in demands for higher taxes, more local participation, and – Heaven forbid – nationalisation.1
Value Conflict and Development: the Struggle of the Professional Zaïrian Woman
Authors: Gould Tern F.
Published: November 2008

The ultimate reality in culture change… hinges on the fact that corresponding institutions in two cultures satisfy analogous needs in different ways and with different techniques; but in the process they have to use the same human and natural resources: land, capital, labor, politically organized force, the impulses of human reproduction, and also the standardized emotions, values and loyalties specific to each culture. – Bronislaw Malinowski, Dynamics of Culture Change (New Haven, 1945), p. 71.
Modernisation and Political Development in Africa
Authors: Klinghoffer Arthur Jay
Published: November 2008

Many social scientists have examined the intricacies of modernisation, political modernisation, and political development, but they have not clearly distinguished between these concepts. Their research emphasis has been on the instruments of change, such as political parties, ideologies, and charismatic leaders, and they have insufficiently delved into the issue of what actually changes during the processes of modernisation and political development. In addition, a number of analyses are unintentionally culturally biased as many western values are viewed as ‘positive’, and the ultimate ends of historical evolution which are presented seemingly suffer from ethnocentric wish-fulfilment.
The Development of Liberia
Authors: Beleky Louis P.
Published: November 2008

Unlike many other African countries, Liberia is endowed with an impressive capacity for rapid economic development. Not only are her natural resources rich enough to finance this, but in relation to her population they are, indeed, capable of ensuring unimpeded growth in her output per capita.1 This article deals with Liberia's development during the last two decades. It shows the marked and rapid growth in the product of her economy, and how this has yielded a subtle and gradual improvement in the life of her people.
Indirect Political Participation in Two Sierra Leone Chiefdoms
Authors: Minikin Victor
Published: November 2008

In the literature of the social sciences, increased political participation is often regarded as one of the symptoms of a ‘modernising’ polity,1 but there have been few attempts to examine the detailed implications in any African rural society. This short article attempts to show that the national leaders in Sierra Leone feared the implications of mass participation in politics. Basically conservative and opposed to the idea of upsetting the status quo, they were satisfied in so far as they retained the support of their people in the struggle for independence, and if thereafter they were able to command enough votes at election times. They were afraid of the changes which countrywide political ‘involvement’ might imply, since these would have threatened their own privileged position.
What Leads to Modernisation? – a comment on research trends
Authors: Charlick Robert B.
Published: November 2008

In a recent issue of this Journal – Vol. IX, No. 4, December 1972 – Rodolfo Salcedo explores the question of causal sequences in the modernisation process. His article illustrates three serious weaknesses in current research into this problem: (i) the inadequate conception of modernisation as a dependent variable, (ii) the choice of theoretically significant independent variables in discussing paths to modernisation, and (iii) the neglect of political participation as a relevant factor.
The Monetary Base in Nigeria
Authors: Ajayi Simeon I.
Published: November 2008

One of the major concerns of Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone during the operation of the West African Currency Board was the alleged relationship between the money supply and the balance of payments. It was argued by critics that changes in foreign exchange reserves tended to exert a preponderant influence on the monetary base, the main determinant of the money stock – which, in turn, is a good indicator of the thrust of monetary forces. The aim of this note is to discover the extent to which the monetary authorities have influenced the ‘base’ since the establishment of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Arabism and Pan-Arabism in Sudanese Politics
Authors: Aguda Oluwadare
Published: November 2008

The greatest achievement of Arabism in the Sudan has been the unquestioned acceptance by the whole world that this is an Arab state, in spite of the fact that only about 40 per cent of the population is Arab. Indeed, the predominance of the Arab Sudanese in the country's culture, politics, administration, commerce, and industry makes it de facto an Arab state. The ascendancy and assertiveness of the Arabs caused the North–South conflict to be almost intractable, while their economic and political domination led even the Northern Muslims to begin to assert themselves, although they had traditionally looked with favour upon assimilation into Arab culture.
Explaining Political Instability in New States
Authors: Ake Claude
Published: November 2008

This article is a theoretical exploration of the problem of explaining political instability in new states, especially those of Africa. It begins with a critical evaluation of current tendencies of interpretation, and then goes on to suggest how we might construct a more adequate theory.

Explanations of political instability in the new states usually stress one or more of five related factors: cultural heterogeneity, low regime legitimacy, lack of coercive power, economic backwardness, and structural simplicity. Let us examine each of these factors.
Social Formation and Political Adaptation in Ethiopia
Authors: Markakis John
Published: November 2008

Up to the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Ethiopia remained essentially what it had been for centuries – a highly isolated, thoroughly traditional, fervently Christian kingdom. During the closing decades of the last century, the kingdom was greatly enlarged through a vast territorial expansion southwards which created the Ethiopian empire as it is today, and established the Christian Ethiopians as the dominant group within the heterogeneous state. The expansion, and the contemporary appearance of European imperialism in the Horn of Africa, helped to break down the historic isolation of this ancient society. In the decades that followed, sporadic attempts to introduce modernisation in Ethiopia had only a superficial impact, and it was only after World War II, following a brief but painful experience with Italian colonialism during 1935–41, that this process commenced in earnest.
Price Controls in Africa: the Ghanaian Experience
Authors: Killick Tony
Published: November 2008

Concern with the social and economic consequences of inflation has induced the governments of most African states to introduce statutory price controls. Thus, of the 25 countries covered by the International Monetary Fund'sSurveys of African Economies,1all but four or five had introduced price-control legislation, and other important examples not covered by these volumes include Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia. Economists tend to be sceptical about the desirability and effectiveness of such controls, and this article attempts to throw some light on this issue, as it relates to the circumstances of tropical Africa, by examining the operation of price regulations in Ghana during the 1960s.
The Economic Impact of the Nigerian Civil War: a Comment
Authors: O'Brien F. S.
Published: November 2008

In a recent issue of this Journal, x, 2, July 1972, pp. 223–45, Dr E. Wayne Nafziger assessed ‘The Economic Impact of the Nigerian Civil War’. The article is, in general, an excellent summary and analysis of the available statistical information on the Nigerian economy for the war period, June 1967 to January 1970, as well as the years leading up to and immediately following the hostilities. However, the author has made an error in his interpretation of the Nigerian gross domestic product series which has led him to seriously understate the decline in aggregate economic activity associated with the war.
Commercial Specialisation and Adapation of Ethnic Groups
Authors: Ogutu Matthias A.
Published: November 2008

With the expulsion of Ibos from Northern Nigeria and Asians from Uganda, the intriguing question of ethnic commercial specialisation and adaptation has increasingly occupied the minds of many scholars. One aspect of economic continuity from the pre-colonial period onwards has been an ethnic dominance in certain occupations and enterprises. Although some groups have lost their traditional commercial specialities, others have continued to be disproportionately influential in a particular sector, and have often maintained an effective monopoly, despite major changes in commerce and local political control. During the November 1972 African Studies Association meeting in Philadelphia, these developments were analysed by a panel organised by Barbara Lewis of Livingstone College. As she pointed out in her paper on ‘The Adaptation of Commercially-Specialised Ethnic Groups to Colonial and Post-Colonial Political Economics’:
The Pattern of Ethnicity in Ghana: a Research Note
Authors: Price Robert M.
Published: November 2008

In almost any analysis of contemporary African society, ethnic affiliation is an important independent variable. A wide range of behaviour, particularly of a political nature, has been explained and understood in terms of presumed intra-tribal solidarity and inter-tribal tension. Most of the evidence of ethnically-oriented behaviour is drawn from the actions and public rhetoric of political and journalistic élites or, if concerned with the phenomenon on a mass level, is indirect – e.g. inferences from patterns of voting behaviour. There is relatively little in the way of‘hard’ data on the ethnically oriented perceptions of Africans, and it is important that we collect direct evidence of their existence, so as to confirm our inferences based on indirect and impressionistic methodological techniques. One method of obtaining such evidence is by survey research.
The Operations Account System in French-Speaking Africa
Authors: Engberg Holger L.
Published: November 2008

Franco-African relations have come under increasing fire during the past few years. African dissatisfaction with various aspects of the co-operation agreements between France and her former colonies is not new, but has recently been more clearly articulated and specifically focused on the structure and regulations of the franc zone which, it is argued, tend to make African states excessively dependent on France.
Employment Relationships and Economic Development — the Kenyan Experience
Authors: Henley John S.
Published: November 2008

Until the late 1950s it was conventional wisdom in East Africa that the major problem of manpower development was one of attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of workers into the European-controlled labour force. Strategies, however, differed radically between plantation agriculture and industry. In Kenya the Government published two reports in 1955 on wages which well illustrate the contrast, and provide valuable insight into the interests involved in the formation of employment policies in a colonial economy.
Understanding African Agriculture and Its Potential for Change
Authors: Waters Alan Rufus
Published: November 2008

Thedomestic economies of most nations in Africa are based upon small-holder agriculture, which has demonstrated in the past that it can be a dynamic source of growth1. However, many governments have tried to constrain this sector and, except for a few export crops during a particular period of time, to replace it with larger farming units wherever possible.2Part of the reason for such policies is a lack of understanding of the nature of small holdings – surprisingly little is known about what they actually are and do.3It is frequently assumed that African farmers live in a state of blind ignorance, using inappropriate methods, and only waiting to be taught the excellent technology which stands ready to be used.4The available evidence indicates that this is grossly wrong.5
Labour Aristocracy–a Northern Nigerian Case Study
Authors: Hinchliffe Keith
Published: November 2008

Theterm ‘labour aristocracy’ first appeared in the literature on African economic development in 1968,1although African wage labour had previously been described as a privileged elite on many occasions. I wish to question the accuracy and relevance of the type of calculation upon which these descriptions are based, and to present the situation which prevails today in Northern Nigeria, using detailed survey data on the earnings of rural farmers, urban workers, and those employed in small-scale enterprises.
Africa as a Market for South African Goods
Authors: Guelke Adrian
Published: November 2008

Much recent analysis of South Africa's outward-looking policy towards independent Africa has asserted that the implications of this are primarily economic in character: ‘South Africa is thrusting out into Africa for a number of reasons. She needs markets for her manufactured goods. She wants to export capital.’1 Indeed, many observers carry the argument further, and suggest that she is seeking an economic and political role in Africa analogous to that of the United States in Latin America. In the words of Sean Gervasi:
The Measurement of Comparative Development — a Survey and Critique
Authors: Whynes David K.
Published: November 2008

This article represents an attempt to bring together and survey the diverse techniques devised by individual scholars and institutions for the purpose of measuring comparative economic development. Any merits it therefore possesses must rest in its clarifications rather than in its inspirations. However, so many techniques exist, founded upon so many theoretical bases, that a concise overview would appear to be justified.
Participation in North-Western Nigeria—District Councils in Action
Authors: Stouffer Willard B.
Published: November 2008

In the past decade Africa has experienced a dramatic decrease in the number of national democratic institutions. Parliaments have not met, parties have declined or been outlawed, and elections have not been held in many states. The situation appears to be similar at the local level. Commenting on this state of affairs, Fred G. Burke observed in 1969: ‘One wonders whether there is to be any future for democratic local government in Africa. One might also wonder whether there should be any future.’2
Fanon and Cabral: a Contrast in Theories of Revolution for Africa
Authors: Blackey Robert
Published: November 2008

Lenin set the tone for most successful revolutions in the twentieth century when he altered traditional Marxism to suit the conditions of Russia. Mao Tse-tung followed Lenin's example when he too adjusted Marxism (and Leninism) to a Chinese environment. It seems to follow, therefore, that attempts at revolution everywhere should not be mere imitations of previously successful upheavals but should, instead, be tailored to fit specific circumstances. Thus, African revolutions should be made on the basis of African conditions. But such conditions are not, in general, always easy to discern, nor are separate analyses of those conditions certain to be similar. This is especially true of the theories of revolution of two of the most important and influential figures in recent African history: Frantz Fanon (1925–61) and Amilcar Cabral (1925–73).
Regionalism, Political Decay, and Civil Strife in Chad
Authors: Decalo Samuel
Published: November 2008

The creation in November 1979 of a Transitional Government of National Unity under the leadership of Wodei Goukouni was greeted by most observers with a sigh of relief and a measure of guarded optimism. The composition of the new régime in Chad, and especially the enhanced rôle of the defeated Sara south within it, may possibly stabilise a situation still exceedingly volatile and inherently unstable. Yet, as West Africa cautioned, ‘twenty years of government by a group unrepresentative of the country, pretending to fill the vacuum at the centre of power and doing so with conspicuous ineffectiveness, cannot be easily erased’.1 Even given the sincerity and goodwill of all 11 groups in the new power hierarchy – which is far from assured, because every conceivable opportunistic faction has been included – the attempt to bring unity and stability to a land that has never experienced either may easily founder against the harsh realities of sharp internal divisions.
The Sudan Since Independence
Authors: Barbour K. M.
Published: November 2008

In the three decades that have elapsed since the end of World War II, the overseas empires created by the European powers have almost all come to an end, and a wide range of new states, large and small, has taken their place. Now, when many of these nations are approaching the 25th anniversaries of their independence, it is a fitting moment to ask how well they are doing, not in any spirit of paternalistic chauvinism, but rather in order to see how far the hopes and expectations of the last years of dependence have been fulfilled in the first years of freedom, and whether a modern polity, modelled essentially on the nations of Europe, can be created and sustained by peoples of very different traditions, working within arbitrarily imposed boundaries that were not of their own choosing.
The Interpersonal Conflict of Laws: a Technique for Adapting to Social Change in Africa
Authors: Bennett T. W.
Published: November 2008

Since independence from colonial rule, there have been considerable changes in the legal systems of new African nations, reflecting – at least in part – the need to re-establish the position of indigenous customary law in relation to received European law. For many modern Africans, customary law has equivocal significance: all too often, this represents a traditional order, now out of keeping with contemporary social conditions and economic demands, and in addition is imbued with political connotations.
Race and Nation: Ideology in the Thought of Frantz Fanon
Authors: Nursey-Bray Paul
Published: November 2008

An authentic national liberation exists only to the precise degree to which the individual has irreversibly begun his own liberation. It is not possible to take one's distance with respect to colonialism without at the same time taking it with respect to the idea that the colonized holds of himself through the filter of colonialist culture.1
The Fiscal Costs of a Basic Human Needs Strategy
Authors: Curry Robert L. , Rothchild Donald
Published: November 2008

Disappointed with the development performance of most Third-World countries during the past two decades, many scholars and public officials have looked for a more effective strategy. They are concerned not merely with the extent of growth, but where it has occurred, with evidence that relatively little of the benefits of increased productivity has ‘trickled down’ to the poorer half of the populations of these lands. Capital-intensive methods have raised expectations in both the urban and the rural areas without generating adequate employment opportunities or distributing the benefits of growth equitably. As a consequence, the many poor remain as desperately disadvantaged as they ever were, making a re-evaluation of development priorities, within as well as outside of Africa, of the utmost importance at this juncture.
Food-Crop Marketing Boards in Tropical Africa
Authors: Jones William O.
Published: November 2008

Agricultural marketing boards in tropical Africa are heirlooms of the Great Depression and World War II, when colonial governments found their principal sources of revenue severely reduced and both European and African populations financially distressed. Marketing boards are of British origin, but similar efforts were made in French and Belgian Africa. The rationale for intervention is clouded; some of the principal reasons have faded into the past or were never openly expressed.1
The Reverse Transfer of Technology from Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States
Authors: Logan Bernard I.
Published: November 2008

This study documents and evaluates the so-called ‘brain drain’ from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States during the period 1974–85. The objective is to use the available data to provide some insights into the rôle of this region in the international labour market for trained personnel. This is done by comparing the relative volume, pattern, and trend of migration to the United States from a sample of 17 countries against that for Africa as a whole, and against that for the world. The rationale for this kind of analysis rests on the need to determine the significance for all concerned of the growing transfer of technology, and to identify the factors which control the process.
Ghana, 1982–6: the Politics of the P.N.D.C.
Authors: Agyeman-Duah Baffour
Published: November 2008

The history of the past three decades in Africa would seem to confirm that the rôle of the military in political and economic development may no longer be considered transient. Armed interventions have become institutionalised, if not constitutionalised, in many African states. By December 1985 no less than 60 successful and 71 attempted coups d'état had occurred in 37 states since January 1956.1 Just as most of the first generation of African politicians chose ‘socialism’ to explain and justify their policies, so ‘revolution’ has become the rallying cry for the military leaders, even though they have often quickly been content just to ‘take over’, and not to transform, the previous civilian régime.
The Eritrean Question: a Colonial Case?
Authors: Yohannes Okbazghi
Published: November 2008

Both Eritreans and Ethiopians have been trying to sway international opinion about one of the most ticklish questions of modern nationalism which seems to defy rational analysis. This study attempts to present their contending views, and to find an interpretative framework for understanding this continuing conflict in the Horn of Africa.
Recent Policy Reform and Industrial Adjustment in Zambia and Ghana
Authors: Steel William F.
Published: November 2008

It has been argued recently that implementing a laissez-faire approach to economic development faces serious difficulties in Africa.1 This article provides some empirical evidence on the question by comparing the recent efforts of two countries to move towards less interventionist policies. Both Zambia and Ghana attempted to reverse their deteriorating economic performance by introducing major reform measures during the mid-1980s. Their different experiences illustrate both the positive effects that laissez-faire policies can have when resource allocation has been constrained by extensive controls, and the difficulties of sustaining and financing a reform programme.
Military Expenditures and Socio-Economic Development in Africa: a Summary of Recent Empirical Research
Authors: Looney Robert E.
Published: November 2008

Africa's dismal economic performance in recent years has spawned a rather vigorous debate over where to lay the blame for the contonuing crisis. The United Nations and assoviated agencies cite factors outside the control of indivedual fovernlents, and stress the detrimental inpact if the poor condition of the world economy, notably the decline in commodity prices and foreign aid. By way of contrast, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund favour the school of thought that lays blame more directly on internal policy-making. Here the actions taken by government to distort, for example, exchange rates and agricultural prices, and to expand unprofitable state enterprises, are seen as the main reasons for the continent's economic decline.
The Rôle of Touts in Passenger Transport in Nigeria
Authors: Okpara Enoch E.
Published: November 2008

Touts can be defined as free-lance workers at railway stations, airports, ferry points, and especially motor-parks, who undertake the self-imposed responsibility of recruiting and organising passengers who wish to travel by road, and for this work they receive a fee, or more appropriately, a ‘commission’, that is generally paid by the drivers of the vehicles just before their departure. All the owners are private entrepreneurs, who both compete and collaborate with one another to provide road transport for the public.
Individualism versus Community in Africa? The Case of Botswana
Authors: Roe Emery M.
Published: November 2008

This short note provides one answer to an anomaly that has perplexed many an observer of rural development in sub-Saharan Africa: How is it possible that two deeply-rooted values in some African societies – the people's sense of individualism and their sense of community – have persisted through time when they seem to work against each other?
Southern African Air Transport After Apartheid
Authors: Pirie Gordon H.
Published: November 2008

Aviation in Southern Africa was subject throughout the 1980s to increasingly intense political pressures. As ever, the cause was protests about apartheid. The severe blow that black African countries dealt to South African Airways (S.A.A.), the Republic's state-owned national airline, in the 1960s by withdrawing overflying rights was magnified by similar action from a wider spectrum of non-African governments. In the mid-1980s, Australia and the United States of America, for example, revoked S.A.A.'s landing rights, and forbad airlines registered in their countries from flying to South Africa. Other carriers, such as Air Canada, closed their offices and then terminated representation in South Africa.
Democracy and Africa – a View from the Village
Authors: Owusu Maxwell
Published: November 2008

The fact that this new nation has succeeded in fostering economic growth and democracy under the aegis of equalitarian values holds out hope for the rest of the world. For prosperity, freedom, and equality cannot be for white men only. If they are, then they will prove to have been as illusory and impermanent as the slave-based democracies of ancient Greece.
The Struggle for Democracy in Uganda
Authors: Omara-Otunnu Amii
Published: November 2008

It is a tragic irony of African nationalism that the potent weapon of democracy, which indigenous politicians wielded so effectively to dislodge European colonialism from the continent, has been misused and perverted in the independence era despite its continuing historical and moral appeal. Although many leaders passionately expressed commitment to the achievement of democracy before attaining state power, their actions thereafter have for the most part proved that they had appropriated this popular concept mainly for its instrumental value; namely, in order to mobilise mass support in the contest for power with the aid of an ideological slogan. Many of the most regrettable acts by African leaders may be attributed either to opportunism and cynicism or to a genuine incomprehension of the principles of democracy, because their implementation ought to have enhanced the human dignity and quality of life of all concerned.