Synopses & Reviews
Despite recent economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, most people there are still almost as poor as they were half a century ago. This book asks the vital question: why have Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam been able to reduce levels of absolute poverty in recent years more successfully than many African countries, such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania?
In Asia-Africa Development Divergence, David Henley corrects widespread misconceptions about rapid poverty reduction in Asia and Africa and, in their place, presents a simple, radical explanation for the development divergence between Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: the starkly unequal quality of developmental intent in these regions political leaders.
Review
“The comparative paths of development in South-East Asia and Africa raise important questions about the necessary conditions for economic transformation. David Henley offers a thoughtful and balanced explanation for the divergence between these two regions, focusing on strategic choices by leaders and pragmatic politics in implementation. This book will have wide resonance for those interested in the fortunes of these regions and the broad theoretical understanding of development.”
Review
“This book addresses one of the top global issues of our time. It does so eloquently, with impeccable logic and drawing on a rich body of comparative evidence spanning sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. It deserves to be carefully read and widely discussed, especially by those shaping policies for the coming decades in Africa.”
Review
“David Henley has written a brilliant synthesis of why countries in South-East Asia have become much more prosperous over the last half century, whereas countries in sub-Saharan Africa have not. Henley's analysis of the rich material offers a new, intriguing interpretation of one of the most pressing issues in the world of development. From the first page to the last,
Asia-Africa Development Divergence provides fascinating reading.”
Review
“This book brings readers back to where the development debate started in the 1950s: what developmental role can a state play, with adequate policies and dedicated implementation practices, and what will be needed to make state elites play that role? Would this be possible in current-day 'emerging Africa'? Although the answers given may not convince everyone, they do bring the debate a step further.”
Synopsis
Why have South-East Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam been so successful in reducing levels of absolute poverty, while in African countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, despite recent economic growth, most people are still almost as poor as they were half a century ago?
This book presents a simple, radical explanation for the great divergence in development performance between Asia and Africa: the absence in most parts of Africa, and the presence in Asia, of serious developmental intent on the part of national political leaders.
About the Author
David Henley is professor of contemporary Indonesia studies at Leiden University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 Diverging paths
Chapter 2 Studying the divergence
Chapter 3 Setting the stage for development
Chapter 4 Agrarian roots of development success
Chapter 5 Varieties of rural bias
Chapter 6 Elements of the developmental mindset
Chapter 7 Origins of the divergence