Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana

Each country has its own story of how it developed, but at the regional level, some stark patterns stand out. For Asia, the development path was rather traditional, with the decline of agriculture and the rise of manufacturing (that is, industrialization) and services. In fact, it is the path that e...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Osei, Robert Darko, Jedwab, Rémi
Formato: Capítulo de libro
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148305
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author Osei, Robert Darko
Jedwab, Rémi
author_browse Jedwab, Rémi
Osei, Robert Darko
author_facet Osei, Robert Darko
Jedwab, Rémi
author_sort Osei, Robert Darko
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Each country has its own story of how it developed, but at the regional level, some stark patterns stand out. For Asia, the development path was rather traditional, with the decline of agriculture and the rise of manufacturing (that is, industrialization) and services. In fact, it is the path that eight high-performing Asian economies followed between 1960 and 1990 to reach rapid, sustained, and inclusive growth rates—higher than those of all other regions—earning the title the “East Asian miracle.” But for Africa, the development path has been quite different. It, too, saw a decline in agriculture, but it still lacks a vibrant manufacturing sector. There is reason to believe that a major culprit is insufficient growth in labor productivity, which is composed of a “within” component (changes in productivity within a sector) and a “structural change component” (changes in productivity resulting from labor movements across sectors). To shed more light on the African story, a good case study is Ghana. It is one of a handful of countries in Africa that has sufficient data on sectoral productivity and employment over a long period. But it is also a fascinating case of structural change in a poor African country for a variety of reasons.
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spelling CGSpace1483052025-11-06T04:10:32Z Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana Osei, Robert Darko Jedwab, Rémi structural adjustment education trade liberalization economic growth economic development health institutions trade policies productivity Each country has its own story of how it developed, but at the regional level, some stark patterns stand out. For Asia, the development path was rather traditional, with the decline of agriculture and the rise of manufacturing (that is, industrialization) and services. In fact, it is the path that eight high-performing Asian economies followed between 1960 and 1990 to reach rapid, sustained, and inclusive growth rates—higher than those of all other regions—earning the title the “East Asian miracle.” But for Africa, the development path has been quite different. It, too, saw a decline in agriculture, but it still lacks a vibrant manufacturing sector. There is reason to believe that a major culprit is insufficient growth in labor productivity, which is composed of a “within” component (changes in productivity within a sector) and a “structural change component” (changes in productivity resulting from labor movements across sectors). To shed more light on the African story, a good case study is Ghana. It is one of a handful of countries in Africa that has sufficient data on sectoral productivity and employment over a long period. But it is also a fascinating case of structural change in a poor African country for a variety of reasons. 2017 2024-06-21T09:24:18Z 2024-06-21T09:24:18Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148305 en https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896292147 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Osei, Robert Darko; and Jedwab, Rémi. 2017. Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana. In Structural change, fundamentals, and growth: A framework and case studies. McMillan, Margaret S.; Rodrik, Dani; and Sepúlveda, Claudia (Eds.). Chapter 4. Pp. 161-196. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institue (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896292147_ch4.
spellingShingle structural adjustment
education
trade liberalization
economic growth
economic development
health
institutions
trade policies
productivity
Osei, Robert Darko
Jedwab, Rémi
Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana
title Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana
title_full Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana
title_fullStr Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana
title_short Structural change in a poor African country: New historical evidence from Ghana
title_sort structural change in a poor african country new historical evidence from ghana
topic structural adjustment
education
trade liberalization
economic growth
economic development
health
institutions
trade policies
productivity
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148305
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