Conflicting Perspectives of Socioeconomic Change and the Pan - Africanist Ideal of Self-Determination, 1912 - 2002

This dissertation interrogates the debate on socioeconomic change in Africa post 1912. It examines the leading currents of thought on what is now popularly termed as development, starting with New Institutional Economics (NIE). Focusing on NIE, it contrasts recent policy implications maintained in the work of Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson (AJR) with that of earlier dependency and modernization perspectives. At the same time it sets these intellectual traditions against what is defined as the Pan-Africanist ideal of self-determination. The rationale behind such a reverse chronological presentation is to enable the reader to travel back in time, and see how socioeconomic thinking about Africa has undoubtedly changed, but, also retained some theoretical misconceptions about the continent and its people. The ideal of self-determination is described as the intellectual tradition of insisting that Africans should ensure that they cultivate the capacity to formulate autonomous ideas, first and foremost, on the type of values and ethics, institutional framework, and notion of progress best suited to their socioeconomic needs and environment. By means of this contrast of ideas, the dissertation suggests that even though more contemporary perspectives such as those embodied in NIE can be seen as an attempt to converge divergent streams of thought from the earlier dependency and modernization traditions, some of its most popular policy implications, such as the transference of good colonial property rights institutions to regions that have suffered a ‘reversal of fortune’ stand in stark opposition to the Pan-Africanist ideal of self-determination.

Grantor

Department of Historical Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Yakubu,Kamal Kweku

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Mulaudzi, Maanda

• economic history

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/11427/31851

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31851