Africa : how to enhance regional integration and economic growth ?

The referendum in favor of the exit of Britain from the European Union (“Brexit”) marks a sad day for Britain and for Europe. It represents a victory of nationalism over the liberal economic order, in the country that inspired the ideas that lie at its foundations. The referendum probably signals the end of an experiment widely supported by the young, the elites and most economists, but which has failed in the eyes of the majority of British people. For Britain, the economic risks a ...

Le bassin Atlantique occupe une place stratégique dans l’économie mondiale vu le poids systémique que représente la partie Nord de la région. Néanmoins, cet espace demeure très hétérogène avec des écarts importants entre les économies qu’il englobe. Les analyses menées dans ce Brief montrent également le manque de synchronisation du cycle économique entre les pays de la région mais surtout le faible degré d’intégration commerciale et financière de la partie africaine du bassin. En o ...

This paper will take stock of the economic performance of Europe and the Arab world, examining how they can do better by working together. The paper pays special attention to the trade, investment, migration and energy linkages between the two regions, as well as those among the Arab countries, as well as how they can be improved to achieve better development. Whereas we present a southern perspective, with Arab countries as main focus, the purpose is to understand the constraints f ...

Cet article fait une analyse comparative de quelques déterminants de la croissance économique dans les pays de l’Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) et dans les pays à forte croissance afin de proposer des mesures de politique économique pour la relance de la croissance dans les Etats de l’UEMOA. Pour ce faire, nous utilisons les données de la Banque Mondiale sur cinq pays à forte croissance (Brésil, Russie, Inde, Chine, Afrique du Sud) et sept pays de l’UEMOA (Bén ...

Sub-Saharan Africa’s trade flows increased sharply, multiplying by a factor of five over the past 20 years. Is this boom built on commodities only?  My answer is no ! Many countries have increased their integration in global value chains. But, it is also clear that sub-Saharan Africa still has some way to go. Increased trade boosts for growth Over the last two decades, the export-to-GDP ratio in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 20½ percent in 1995 to 27½ percent in 2013. This occ ...

The 16th Annual Global Development Conference has been dedicated this year to the theme of ‘Agriculture for Sustainable Growth: Challenges and Opportunities for a New ‘Green Revolution’.  One of the sub-themes that has been addressed during this event is related to the design of the optimal agricultural policy supposed to lead towards development, especially in low-income countries. The objective of this blog is to cover the key elements that make an agricultural policy successful a ...