About this episode

Joe Studwell discusses how African countries can follow Asia's economic success despite historical challenges.

Africa is traditionally seen as a continent of immense resources, let down by poor governance and excessive violence. Joe Studwell disagrees. In his book, How Africa Works , Studwell flips those assumptions upside down, and argues that low population density, a brutal disease burden and "low-budget" colonialism have hampered the continent’s development. Now, Studwell says, Africa is in a position to follow the blueprint for rapid advancement set by some of Asia’s most impressive economies, such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Host Soumaya Keynes and Studwell discuss the policy mix African nations should follow, the problems with "leapfrog" development and how "keeping up with the Joneses" could drive continent-wide development. Further Reading African economies are more resilient than ever Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple , Spotify , Pocket Casts or wherever you listen. Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Soumaya Keynes

Guest: Joe Studwell

Topics covered

• economic development
• Africa
• Asia
• governance
• policy
• colonialism

Keywords

• Africa
• economic success
• Joe Studwell
• How Africa Works
• governance
• development
• Asia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Financial Times

Books & works: How Africa Works

Places: Africa, Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan

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