Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15963
Authors: James A. Robinson; Soeren Henn
Abstract: Despite the past centuries’ economic setbacks and challenges, are there reasons foroptimism about Africa’s economic prospects? We provide a conceptual framework and empiricalevidence that show how the nature of African society has led to three sets of unrecognized “latentassets.” First, success in African society is talent driven and Africa has experienced high levelsof perceived and actual social mobility. A society where talented individuals rise to the top andoptimism prevails is an excellent basis for entrepreneurship and innovation. Second, Africans,like westerners who built the world’s most successful effective states, are highly skeptical ofauthority and attuned to the abuse of power. We argue that these attitudes can be a criticalbasis for building better institutions. Third, Africa is “cosmopolitan.” Africans are the mostmultilingual people in the world, have high levels of religious tolerance, and are welcoming tostrangers. The experience of navigating cultural and linguistic diversity sets Africans up forsuccess in a globalized world.
Keywords: African development; social mobility; values
JEL Codes: J6; H11; O1; O11
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| high levels of perceived and actual social mobility (J62) | greater success in entrepreneurship and innovation (O35) |
| skepticism of authority (D73) | effective political institutions (P16) |
| Africa's cosmopolitan nature (N97) | adaptability in a globalized world (F01) |