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on Africa |
| By: | Oscar Claveria (AQR-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.); Claudia Puig (Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.) |
| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between income inequality and net migration in Africa over the past two decades. Inequality is gauged by the share of income accruing to the top decile of the income distribution. Net migration rates from 54 countries between 2001 and 2021 are matched to inequality, controlling for origin country unemployment, income per capita, as well as foreign direct investment and economic uncertainty in a fixed-effects panel model. Overall, the results suggest that greater inequality is associated with higher migration rates, as opposed to foreign investment and uncertainty, which are found to be negatively associated with net migration. When replicating the experiment for the different regions East, Middle, North, South and West Africa , these results hold in all cases except in West Africa, where the coefficients are not found to be statistically significant. Increases in origin country income per capita are also found to be significantly and positively associated with net migration in North and South Africa, as opposed to country-level unemployment which shows a negatively association with net migration rates. As a robustness check, we replicate both analyses using the Gini coefficient as a measure of aggregate income inequality, obtaining very similar results. Overall, the analysis suggests that increasingly unequal distributions of income may lead to a greater number of people coming in than leaving, somehow contributing to the overall level of population growth in African countries. On the other hand, economic uncertainty, foreign direct investment and unemployment tend to have the opposite effect in most African regions. |
| Keywords: | Migration; Income Inequality; Unemployment; Foreign Direct Investment; Economic Growth; Economic Uncertainty. JEL classification: C50; D31; E62; H50; J11. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:202607 |
| By: | Abay, Kibrom A.; Wondale, Meseret; Korir, Josphat K.; Bachewe, Fantu Nisrane; Araya, Mesele; Breisinger, Clemens |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the landscape and evolution of youth engagement in labor markets in Africa, focusing on three important countries—Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria—which together account for 40 percent of Africa’s youth population. We also examine whether Africa’s youth are driving structural transformation. To do so, we combine nationally representative data and surveys spanning more than two decades (from the 1990s to the 2020s). We situate the analysis within the region’s pressing youth unemployment challenge, where annual labor-force entrants surpass job creation. Our findings show that, despite substantial heterogeneities across countries, largely due to sectoral composition of economies, youth remain engaged in agriculture almost as much as adults. While labor continues to gradually shift out of agriculture, it has moved overwhelmingly into services rather than industry, reinforcing the unique pattern of structural transformation in Africa. More importantly, exit rates from agriculture are similar for youth and adults, except in Ethiopia, where youth are leaving agriculture at slightly higher rates than adults. In Ethiopia and Kenya, the entry rate into services is higher among young women, while entry into industry is higher among young men, suggesting distributional and equity implications of Africa’s ongoing structural transformation. These findings offer important insights and challenge simplistic views that youth are leaving agriculture in “droves” as well as the sometimes-embroidered perceptions of their role in that transformation. We discuss the implications of these findings for sustaining inclusive employment opportunities and argue that agriculture should remain central to job creation efforts in Africa. |
| Keywords: | youth; labour market; structural adjustment; youth employment; agrifood systems; Africa |
| Date: | 2025–12–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:178454 |
| By: | Abigail Opokua Asare (University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines whether the success of prior aid projects affects the performance of subsequent ones based on a study of World Bank projects in Africa. While existing research has shown that aid effectiveness depends on macroeconomic conditions, institutional quality, and managerial capacity, far less is known about whether project success generates localized improvements that extend beyond its immediate boundaries. Using geocoded data and independent evaluation ratings of World Bank projects, this study finds that local success does not systematically translate into higher performance for subsequent projects. In fact, it can sometimes make it less likely for future projects to achieve top outcomes. I also found evidence of a negative effect in localities with dense exposure to highly satisfactory projects. Regions with a mix of highly rated and moderately rated projects tend to do better in the future than those with only top-rated projects. This means that while lessons have been learned from very successful projects, having too many of these in one place can have negative spillovers. Therefore, close monitoring is needed in regions with high concentrations of top-performing projects to ensure that early successes and lessons learned are managed appropriately, preventing them from undermining later performance. |
| Keywords: | Aid effectiveness, World Bank, project success, localized learning |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:old:dpaper:454 |
| By: | Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel |
| Abstract: | This study examines Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) as a literary representation of institutional and socio-economic dynamics in pre-colonial and colonial African societies. While previous scholarship has primarily focused on cultural identity and colonial critique, this paper interprets the novel through the combined lenses of institutional economics, political economy, and behavioural economics to investigate how governance structures, cultural norms, and individual incentives shaped economic behaviour and social stability within Igbo society. Using a qualitative textual-economic analysis, key narrative events were coded and analysed in relation to indigenous institutions, agricultural production, and colonial intervention. The findings reveal that pre-colonial Igbo institutions effectively coordinated economic activity and maintained social cohesion, while the introduction of colonial institutions generated institutional displacement, social fragmentation, and economic disruption. Behavioural factors, including leadership rigidity and social identity, further mediated responses to institutional change. The study contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship by demonstrating that literary texts can illuminate historical and economic processes, offering insights for contemporary governance and development policy in African contexts. These findings underscore the importance of integrating traditional institutions, aligning development initiatives with cultural norms, and promoting adaptive leadership to enhance institutional resilience and socio-economic development. |
| Keywords: | Things Fall Apart, institutional economics, political economy, behavioural economics, African development, governance, institutional change |
| JEL: | B52 D91 N37 O10 Z11 |
| Date: | 2026–02–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:128278 |
| By: | Yvan Guichaoua; Ferdaous Bouhlel |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the forms of taxation practised by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State branches operating in Mali and Niger. It builds on insights from the rebel governance literature and an original conceptualisation of jihadist taxation and its effects. Unlike classic perspectives in the rebel governance literature, we argue for an 'all at once' approach to jihadist governance and warfare, where taxation is the beginning and the end of acts of warfare due to the fundamental political nature of Islamic taxation. |
| Keywords: | Jihadism, Governance, Taxation, Conflict |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2026-13 |