First published 2017
This book examines whether a "statistical tragedy" truly unfolds across Africa, as World Bank chief economist Shanta Devarajan claimed in 2013. Morten Jerven investigates the roots of measurement problems in poor economies by drawing on historical cases from colonial French West Africa, Ghana, Sudan, Mauritania and Tanzania. He also analyzes contemporary experiences in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Multiple authors contribute reflections on how statistics have evolved to represent African economies and serve as tools of governance. The work reveals changing patterns in data collection and usage across different periods and regions. Originally published as a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies, this collection offers readers insight into the complex relationship between statistical capacity and economic measurement in African contexts.
Genres: economics, non-fiction, africa, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic
Setting: Africa, Canada, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa
Period: 21st-century, Colonial
216 pages · Paperback · Routledge