Governance and Growth: History, Ideology and Methods of Proof

Main author: Khan, Mushtaq
Format: Book Chapters           
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id eprints-17299
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description Governance plays a critical role in development, but what should governance reform in developing countries focus on? The advice given to Africa in common with other developing countries has focused on building a set of governance capabilities that are described as “good governance.” These focus on enforcing property rights, a rule of law, reducing corruption, and improving government accountability. These are all desirable governance conditions but the historical evidence does not suggest that developing countries can achieve these capabilities to an extent that can make a significant contribution to their long-term growth. Rather, the evidence suggests that successful developing countries had more specific governance capabilities that helped to sustain growth and development. These capabilities were country-specific because initial political and institutional conditions were significantly different across countries as were the economic problems that had to be addressed. This evidence suggests that governance reform priorities for Africa have to be rethought.
author_additional Noman, Akbar
author_additionalStr Noman, Akbar
format Book Chapters
author Khan, Mushtaq
author_facet Khan, Mushtaq
authorStr Khan, Mushtaq
author_letter Khan, Mushtaq
title Governance and Growth: History, Ideology and Methods of Proof
publisher Oxford University Press
publishDate 2012
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/17299/