2015 Chapters (Layout Features)

Introduction and Overview: Economic Transformation and Learning, Industrial, and Technology Policies in Africa

Noman, Akbar; Stiglitz, Joseph E.

This chapter is an introduction and overview of "Industrial Policy and Economic Transformation in Africa." The main objective of the contributions in this volume is to shed light on how to vigorously promote economic transformation. They emphasize the vital role of industrial policies. It is perhaps noteworthy that the two economies among the fastest-growing in Africa in this century did not rely on an oil boom: Ethiopia and Rwanda pursued to varying degrees deliberate policies of government interventions of the type we label industrial policies. These two countries were consciously and explicitly influenced by the successful experiences with industrial policies of the most successful East Asian countries (see World Bank 1993; Stiglitz and Uy 1996). We provide a quick overview of Africa's development experience in the next three short sections in order to provide a context for the two longer ones concerning the main themes of this volume. "Static Efficiency vs. Dynamic Gains: Learning, Industrial, and Technology Policies" examines the need and possibilities of learning, industrial, and technology policies in the region, and the last section provides an overview of the other chapters in this volume and how they contribute to that aim.