Business and the State in Africa: Economic Policy-Making in the Neo-Liberal Era

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Figures......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 9
Abbreviations......Page 12
Introduction: the African business class and development......Page 15
Constructive contestation – or neo-patrimonial collusion?......Page 19
The state of the state......Page 20
The nature of business......Page 24
Public–private sector interactions......Page 28
The origins and development of the African business class......Page 29
Structure of the book......Page 36
PART ONE Institutionalizing constructive contestation......Page 41
1 Ethnicity, race, and the development of the South African business class, 1870–1989......Page 43
The origins of South African capital......Page 45
Afrikaner state, English capital......Page 55
The politics of business and government under apartheid......Page 61
Black business, black politics......Page 68
Policy-making in the ANC......Page 70
The South African political economy by the late 1980s......Page 74
2 The neo-liberal era in South Africa: negotiating capitalist development......Page 76
The South African political economy......Page 77
Economic policy-making in the ANC......Page 79
Political normalization......Page 80
The development of black business......Page 82
A broadly liberal macro-economic framework......Page 88
The ANC moves into government......Page 90
Business makes its case – badly......Page 91
The budget deficit......Page 93
Trade liberalization......Page 94
Labor framework......Page 95
Competition policy......Page 98
Business–government interactions......Page 102
The policy outcomes......Page 105
Why business won what it did......Page 106
South Africa in the 2000s: the waxing of neo-patrimonialism?......Page 108
3 Business and government in Mauritius: public hostility, private pragmatism......Page 115
Colonialism and the emergence of a local, sugar-based bourgeoisie......Page 116
Exporting unemployment, importing growth......Page 122
The Mauritian political economy by the late 1980s......Page 126
Economic policy-making in Mauritius......Page 130
The 1990s: a new set of challenges......Page 131
The “militant” governments......Page 132
Manufacturing exports......Page 133
The private sector more broadly......Page 134
The state of business midway through......Page 135
The Labour government......Page 136
Manufacturing exports......Page 140
The private sector broadly......Page 141
The policy outcomes......Page 144
Why business lost the big demand but still won overall......Page 145
Conclusion......Page 147
PART TWO Business and the neo-patrimonial state......Page 151
4 The emergence of neo-patrimonial business in Ghana, 1850–1989......Page 153
The pre-colonial origins of Ghana’s entrepreneurial class......Page 155
Colonialism and the Ghanaian political economy......Page 156
The movement toward political independence......Page 162
Nkrumah......Page 166
Post-Nkrumah – a liberal interlude?......Page 174
The retreat into subsistence......Page 177
Enter Jerry Rawlings......Page 179
Policy-making in the PNDC......Page 180
The Ghanaian political economy by the late 1980s......Page 183
Conclusion......Page 184
5 State-dominant reform: Ghana in the 1990s and 2000s......Page 186
The Ghanaian political economy: short on the middle......Page 187
Relations between business and government......Page 190
It’s good to talk: policy consultation between business and government......Page 194
Access to finance......Page 198
Getting and spending: government profligacy......Page 199
Macroeconomic management and inflation......Page 202
Divestiture......Page 205
The 1999 hedging debacle......Page 208
The policy outcomes......Page 212
Why business won so little......Page 213
Ghana: the waning of neo-patrimonialism?......Page 216
Conclusion......Page 219
6 Business and government in Zambia: too close for comfort......Page 221
The emergence of a political elite in Northern Rhodesia......Page 222
Independent Zambia: “humanist,” not capitalist......Page 227
The Zambian political economy by the late 1980s......Page 233
The business of political reform......Page 236
The MMD gets personal......Page 238
Specific policy demands......Page 239
Privatization......Page 240
Trade liberalization......Page 243
Deregulation......Page 245
Business’ interactions with government on policy questions......Page 247
The policy outcomes......Page 249
Why business lost what it lost......Page 250
Conclusion......Page 253
Conclusion: the business of economic policy-making, comparatively speaking......Page 256
The country studies......Page 257
Business disaggregated......Page 258
Business as institutionalized contestation......Page 260
Business as ethnicized “other” (or when bad ethnic relations make good political economy)......Page 264
Business, context, and timing......Page 270
Business as contingent capitalists?......Page 272
Implications and prospects......Page 273
Primary sources......Page 278
Government documents......Page 279
Business documents......Page 280
Cited interviews......Page 281
Secondary sources......Page 282
Index......Page 300