Yale African Studies Summer Institute 2009

Economic Development in Africa

Chris Udry, Department of Economics

Some Trends

• Income and child mortality

• Income and fertility

• Income and sectoral transformation

• Income and sugar consumption (!)

References

• Website: www.gapminder.org

• Books: ‘Onions are My Husband’, Gracia Clark; God’s Bits of Wood, Sembene Ousmane; Anthills of the Savanna, Chinua Achebe; Sara Berry, No Condition is Permanent; Ralph Austen, African Economic History; Paul Collier, The Bottom Billion; Jeff Sachs, The End of Poverty; Bill Easterly, White Man’s Burden

• reviews: Collier and Gunning, 1999. “Why has Africa Grown Slowly,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 13/3, pp. 3-22. More detail can be found in Collier and Gunning. 1999. Journal of Economic Literature, 37/1, pp.64-111. Bill Easterly, 2009 “Can the West Save Africa?” Journal of Economic Literature, 47/2: pp. 373-447; Ted Miguel, 2008. “Is it Africa’s Turn?” Boston Review. May/June Issue.