Overview
- Highlights lessons from Botswana’s economic history that are relevant for understanding historical as well as contemporary experiences of economic growth and (lacking) structural transformation in natural resource abundant and dependent countries
- Provides an in-depth study identifying drivers of inequality taking place during the diamond-led economy
- Considers consequences of colonial economic strategies including taxes and government transfers
- Discusses what could happen when the diamonds run out and the window of opportunity has not been used to create sustainable economic development
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Economic History (PEHS)
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Part 1
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Front Matter
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Part 2
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Front Matter
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Part 4
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
- Sustainable economic development
- Economic diversification
- Growth miracle
- Pre-colonial Economy and Society
- Colonial Policies
- Income Inequality
- Economic History of Botswana
- African economic history
- cattle economy
- natural resource curse
- African economic growth
- Drivers of Inequality
- Colonial Economic Strategies
About this book
Together with Mauritius, Botswana is often categorized as one of two growth miracles in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to its spectacular long-run economic performance and impressive social development, it has been termed both an economic success story and a developmental state. While there is uniqueness in the Botswana experience, several aspects of the country’s opportunities and challenges are of a more general nature. Throughout its history, Botswana has been both blessed and hindered by its natural resource abundance and dependency, which have influenced growth periods, opportunities for economic diversification, strategies for sustainable economic and social development, and the distribution of incomes and opportunities.
Through a political economy framework, Hillbom and Bolt provide an updated understanding of an African success story, covering the period from the mid-19th century, when the Tswana groups settled, to the present day. Understanding the interaction over time between geography and factor endowments on the one hand, and the development of economic and political institutions on the other, offers principle lessons from Botswana’s experience to other natural resource rich developing countries.
Authors and Affiliations
About the authors
Ellen Hillbom is an Associate Professor at the Department of Economic History, Lund University, Sweden. Her research focuses on Southern and Eastern Africa and addresses both historical and contemporary cases of agricultural and structural transformation, long-term inequality trends, natural resource dependency, property rights regimes governing agricultural resources, and smallholder production and commercialization.
Jutta Bolt is an Associate Professor at the Department of Economic History, Lund University, Sweden and affiliated with the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Her research focuses on understanding long-term comparative economic development patterns, with a special focus on Africa. Current research projects include demographic developments, long-term agricultural productivity and the historical origins of present-day income inequality. In addition she works in the Maddison Project measuring long-run global economic development.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Botswana – A Modern Economic History
Book Subtitle: An African Diamond in the Rough
Authors: Ellen Hillbom, Jutta Bolt
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Economic History
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73144-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-73143-8Published: 22 March 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-10323-1Published: 26 January 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-73144-5Published: 14 March 2018
Series ISSN: 2662-6497
Series E-ISSN: 2662-6500
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 235
Number of Illustrations: 22 b/w illustrations
Topics: Economic History, International Political Economy, African History, Natural Resource and Energy Economics, Development Economics, Economy-wide Country Studies