Augustin Kwasi Fosu | University of Ghana (original) (raw)
Papers by Augustin Kwasi Fosu
The article documents the evolution of governance measures in Africa during post-independence: ec... more The article documents the evolution of governance measures in Africa during post-independence: economic freedom, electoral competitiveness, political rights and civil liberties, executive constraint, and polity2. It examines their implications for economic development, considers political instability (PI) in the form of coups d'état and civil wars on the premise that PI results from poor governance. In addition, the article sheds light on the links between the more recent measures of governance-the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)-and economic development outcomes among African countries. The article concludes by paying special attention to potential governance/institutional instruments that might reflect "good governance", and highlights the implicit risks faced by African countries in their efforts to sustain the continent's recent economic gains within the current political economy framework.
The Review of Black Political Economy, Dec 1, 2005
Ph.D. economists employed at colleges and universities, research productivity is a critical facto... more Ph.D. economists employed at colleges and universities, research productivity is a critical factor in determining promotion, tenure, and reputation as a scholar" (p. 7). In addition, the authors allude to the "social good" of research output. In my view, the article's major utility lies in providing to the Review's readers potentially useful information on the work of black economists with respect to: (1) the connection between research output, on the one hand, and job placement and prior research training, on the other; and (2) black economists' actual contributions to knowledge, which is essential, at least, within the current paradigm of endogenous growth. I am not particularly convinced, though, of the advisability of limiting the sample coverage to black economists in academia, despite the expressed rationale that such a setting explicitly attempts to reward research productivity. After all, black economists in non-academia may usefully fulfill both of the above functions. Nonetheless, the measure that the authors use for productivi~ is quite questionable, and the present comment focuses on this issue. As is well known in the literature, productivity is measured on a per-unit-of-output basis. Average productivity is per unit of total output, while marginal productivity is incremental output per unit of additional input. In labor economics, the measure of an individual's contribution, and hence her wage, in a perfectly competitive market equals the marginal product (assuming the product is a numeraire). Thus, the ideal measure of productivity that the authors of the current article should have employed is the marginal product of effort (times the amount of effort) of a given black economist. What they use instead is the total product.
Industrial Relations, Sep 1, 1983
... Cragg, John G. Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to t... more ... Cragg, John G. Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to the Demand for Durable Goods, Econometrica, XXXIX (September, 1971), 8 2 M . Fosu, Augustin K. A Theory of Fringe Benefit Choice in ... Pindyck, Robert S. and Daniel L. Rubinfeld. ...
The study explores the role of inequality in the growth-poverty nexus. It first presents an analy... more The study explores the role of inequality in the growth-poverty nexus. It first presents an analysis-of-covariance framework within which the relationship can be measured. It then estimates the relationship using 1993 data for urban and rural sectors from 16 sub-Saharan African countries. Employing the head-count, gap, and squared poverty gap ratios as dependent variables, and the Gini and PPP-adjusted incomes as explanatory variables, the paper finds the impact of growth to be a decreasing function of inequality. Nevertheless, the results suggest that growth would decrease poverty in all the countries in the sample, albeit at varying rates.
Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Apr 24, 2019
Development Centre seminars, Jul 6, 2001
Can Africa ever hope to have comparative advantage in manufactured exports? This question, posed ... more Can Africa ever hope to have comparative advantage in manufactured exports? This question, posed in the following chapter, becomes a theme that reverberates throughout this volume. The ongoing debate among economists about how to answer it and thus give guidance to policymakers pits two fundamental and opposing theoretical views against one another. This book not only discusses the debate, in which the authors duly take their positions, but also tries to break new ground in empirical tests that would support an answer of "Yes!" to the question. As will become evident, however, such an answer depends heavily on supportive policies, resolutely pursued. The final chapter, one of the two that pull together the various contributions in the book, reminds us that ".. . there is no free lunch". This conference volume on policies to promote manufacturing competitiveness in sub-Saharan Africa stems from a meeting held in Johannesburg on 6-7 November 1998, jointly organised by the African Economic Research Consortium, the International Monetary Fund and the OECD Development Centre. Participants included policymakers from African countries, academics and experts from international and regional institutions. The papers presented at the conference, of which this book includes a selection, ranged from crosscountry comparisons to country case studies.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Nov 22, 2012
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Nov 29, 2007
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Jul 5, 2018
Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 16, 2017
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1992
This study finds that between 1965 and 1981, black women's occupational mobility rose rel... more This study finds that between 1965 and 1981, black women's occupational mobility rose relative to that of white women and white men by about 20% and 24%, respectively, and that more than half of these gains remain even after controlling for pre-existing trends, cyclical economic conditions, education, and factors potentially influencing the labor supply. No evidence is found to support the null hypothesis that this pattern is explained in significant measure by a decline in the labor supply of black women. The author argues, instead, that the results reflect the effects of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and, by the mid-1970s, affirmative action laws.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Jul 5, 2018
Economic Growth, Human Development, and Welfare" of the 2018 Report of the International Pan... more Economic Growth, Human Development, and Welfare" of the 2018 Report of the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). Mission of the IPSP: The International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP) will harness the competence of hundreds of experts about social issues and will deliver a report addressed to all social actors, movements, organizations, politicians and decision-makers, in order to provide them with the best expertise on questions that bear on social change. The Panel will seek consensus whenever possible but will not hide controversies and will honestly present up-to-date arguments and analyses, and debates about them, in an accessible way. The Panel will have no partisan political agenda, but will aim at restoring hope in social progress and stimulating intellectual and public debates. Different political and philosophical views may conceive of social progress in different ways, emphasizing values such as freedom, dignity, or equality. The Panel will retain full independence from political parties, governments, and organizations with a partisan agenda. While the Panel will primarily work for the dissemination of knowledge to all relevant actors in society, it will also foster research on the topics it will study and help to revive interest for research in social long-term prospective analysis
It is impossible to do justice to all the studies presented in this volume, but this chapter atte... more It is impossible to do justice to all the studies presented in this volume, but this chapter attempts to synthesize the material and draw lessons from the case studies. The synthesis has ten thematic issues: colonial history; neighbours; elite political instability; rent-seeking opportunities; child combatants; the proliferation of cheap weapons; inter-ethnic and class injustice and grievance; the need for impartial and effective judicial and legal systems; the role of the international community; and the role of democratic institutions.
The Review of Black Political Economy, Mar 1, 1993
Routledge eBooks, Mar 24, 2015
Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch ge... more Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your personal and scholarly purposes. You are not to copy documents for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence.
Journal of International Development, Nov 1, 2013
The global economic crisis beginning in 2008 has come at an inopportune time for Africa. Economic... more The global economic crisis beginning in 2008 has come at an inopportune time for Africa. Economic growth had recovered, poverty had declined, and human development had improved. Then the crisis hit. Growth then fell by 60 per cent. The growth decline has been less than in previous economic crises though. Africa's resilience currently likely results from improvements in economic and political governance and to changes in the external environment. It appears that Africa will once again resume its path towards prosperity. However, although low-income and 'fragile' countries appear to be holding up well, many of them critically depend on external assistance. Above all, the commitment to improved governance must continue.
African Development Review, Dec 1, 2002
This paper critically reviews the empirical literature on growth, with a view to drawing some les... more This paper critically reviews the empirical literature on growth, with a view to drawing some lessons for Africa. It illustrates the diversity of the results found by different authors, and calls for a more rigorous approach, paying attention to the identification of structural parameters and to simultaneity biases. It emphasizes the part played by openness and export orientation as the main policy variables affecting growth. Then, the choice of bad policies, which seems to be the main proximate cause of slow growth in Africa, is traced to the lack of social capital and deficient political institutions. Résumé: Cet article est une critique de la littérature empirique sur le développement dont le but est d'en tirer quelques leçons sur l'Afrique. L'article démontre la diversité des conclusions tirées par plusieurs auteurs et fait appel à une démarche plus rigoureuse, prenant en compte l'identification des paramètres structurels et des penchants simultanés qui existent. L'importance du marché et son orientation vers l'export sont soulignées comme étant les deux variables principales qui touchent directement la croissance. Les auteurs démontrent ensuite que le choix de mauvaises politiques, qui semble être la cause principale de la faible croissance africaine, est due en effet à un manque de capital social ainsi qu'aux institutions politiques défectueuses.
The article documents the evolution of governance measures in Africa during post-independence: ec... more The article documents the evolution of governance measures in Africa during post-independence: economic freedom, electoral competitiveness, political rights and civil liberties, executive constraint, and polity2. It examines their implications for economic development, considers political instability (PI) in the form of coups d'état and civil wars on the premise that PI results from poor governance. In addition, the article sheds light on the links between the more recent measures of governance-the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)-and economic development outcomes among African countries. The article concludes by paying special attention to potential governance/institutional instruments that might reflect "good governance", and highlights the implicit risks faced by African countries in their efforts to sustain the continent's recent economic gains within the current political economy framework.
The Review of Black Political Economy, Dec 1, 2005
Ph.D. economists employed at colleges and universities, research productivity is a critical facto... more Ph.D. economists employed at colleges and universities, research productivity is a critical factor in determining promotion, tenure, and reputation as a scholar" (p. 7). In addition, the authors allude to the "social good" of research output. In my view, the article's major utility lies in providing to the Review's readers potentially useful information on the work of black economists with respect to: (1) the connection between research output, on the one hand, and job placement and prior research training, on the other; and (2) black economists' actual contributions to knowledge, which is essential, at least, within the current paradigm of endogenous growth. I am not particularly convinced, though, of the advisability of limiting the sample coverage to black economists in academia, despite the expressed rationale that such a setting explicitly attempts to reward research productivity. After all, black economists in non-academia may usefully fulfill both of the above functions. Nonetheless, the measure that the authors use for productivi~ is quite questionable, and the present comment focuses on this issue. As is well known in the literature, productivity is measured on a per-unit-of-output basis. Average productivity is per unit of total output, while marginal productivity is incremental output per unit of additional input. In labor economics, the measure of an individual's contribution, and hence her wage, in a perfectly competitive market equals the marginal product (assuming the product is a numeraire). Thus, the ideal measure of productivity that the authors of the current article should have employed is the marginal product of effort (times the amount of effort) of a given black economist. What they use instead is the total product.
Industrial Relations, Sep 1, 1983
... Cragg, John G. Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to t... more ... Cragg, John G. Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to the Demand for Durable Goods, Econometrica, XXXIX (September, 1971), 8 2 M . Fosu, Augustin K. A Theory of Fringe Benefit Choice in ... Pindyck, Robert S. and Daniel L. Rubinfeld. ...
The study explores the role of inequality in the growth-poverty nexus. It first presents an analy... more The study explores the role of inequality in the growth-poverty nexus. It first presents an analysis-of-covariance framework within which the relationship can be measured. It then estimates the relationship using 1993 data for urban and rural sectors from 16 sub-Saharan African countries. Employing the head-count, gap, and squared poverty gap ratios as dependent variables, and the Gini and PPP-adjusted incomes as explanatory variables, the paper finds the impact of growth to be a decreasing function of inequality. Nevertheless, the results suggest that growth would decrease poverty in all the countries in the sample, albeit at varying rates.
Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Apr 24, 2019
Development Centre seminars, Jul 6, 2001
Can Africa ever hope to have comparative advantage in manufactured exports? This question, posed ... more Can Africa ever hope to have comparative advantage in manufactured exports? This question, posed in the following chapter, becomes a theme that reverberates throughout this volume. The ongoing debate among economists about how to answer it and thus give guidance to policymakers pits two fundamental and opposing theoretical views against one another. This book not only discusses the debate, in which the authors duly take their positions, but also tries to break new ground in empirical tests that would support an answer of "Yes!" to the question. As will become evident, however, such an answer depends heavily on supportive policies, resolutely pursued. The final chapter, one of the two that pull together the various contributions in the book, reminds us that ".. . there is no free lunch". This conference volume on policies to promote manufacturing competitiveness in sub-Saharan Africa stems from a meeting held in Johannesburg on 6-7 November 1998, jointly organised by the African Economic Research Consortium, the International Monetary Fund and the OECD Development Centre. Participants included policymakers from African countries, academics and experts from international and regional institutions. The papers presented at the conference, of which this book includes a selection, ranged from crosscountry comparisons to country case studies.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Nov 22, 2012
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Nov 29, 2007
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Jul 5, 2018
Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 16, 2017
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1992
This study finds that between 1965 and 1981, black women's occupational mobility rose rel... more This study finds that between 1965 and 1981, black women's occupational mobility rose relative to that of white women and white men by about 20% and 24%, respectively, and that more than half of these gains remain even after controlling for pre-existing trends, cyclical economic conditions, education, and factors potentially influencing the labor supply. No evidence is found to support the null hypothesis that this pattern is explained in significant measure by a decline in the labor supply of black women. The author argues, instead, that the results reflect the effects of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and, by the mid-1970s, affirmative action laws.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Jul 5, 2018
Economic Growth, Human Development, and Welfare" of the 2018 Report of the International Pan... more Economic Growth, Human Development, and Welfare" of the 2018 Report of the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). Mission of the IPSP: The International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP) will harness the competence of hundreds of experts about social issues and will deliver a report addressed to all social actors, movements, organizations, politicians and decision-makers, in order to provide them with the best expertise on questions that bear on social change. The Panel will seek consensus whenever possible but will not hide controversies and will honestly present up-to-date arguments and analyses, and debates about them, in an accessible way. The Panel will have no partisan political agenda, but will aim at restoring hope in social progress and stimulating intellectual and public debates. Different political and philosophical views may conceive of social progress in different ways, emphasizing values such as freedom, dignity, or equality. The Panel will retain full independence from political parties, governments, and organizations with a partisan agenda. While the Panel will primarily work for the dissemination of knowledge to all relevant actors in society, it will also foster research on the topics it will study and help to revive interest for research in social long-term prospective analysis
It is impossible to do justice to all the studies presented in this volume, but this chapter atte... more It is impossible to do justice to all the studies presented in this volume, but this chapter attempts to synthesize the material and draw lessons from the case studies. The synthesis has ten thematic issues: colonial history; neighbours; elite political instability; rent-seeking opportunities; child combatants; the proliferation of cheap weapons; inter-ethnic and class injustice and grievance; the need for impartial and effective judicial and legal systems; the role of the international community; and the role of democratic institutions.
The Review of Black Political Economy, Mar 1, 1993
Routledge eBooks, Mar 24, 2015
Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch ge... more Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your personal and scholarly purposes. You are not to copy documents for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence.
Journal of International Development, Nov 1, 2013
The global economic crisis beginning in 2008 has come at an inopportune time for Africa. Economic... more The global economic crisis beginning in 2008 has come at an inopportune time for Africa. Economic growth had recovered, poverty had declined, and human development had improved. Then the crisis hit. Growth then fell by 60 per cent. The growth decline has been less than in previous economic crises though. Africa's resilience currently likely results from improvements in economic and political governance and to changes in the external environment. It appears that Africa will once again resume its path towards prosperity. However, although low-income and 'fragile' countries appear to be holding up well, many of them critically depend on external assistance. Above all, the commitment to improved governance must continue.
African Development Review, Dec 1, 2002
This paper critically reviews the empirical literature on growth, with a view to drawing some les... more This paper critically reviews the empirical literature on growth, with a view to drawing some lessons for Africa. It illustrates the diversity of the results found by different authors, and calls for a more rigorous approach, paying attention to the identification of structural parameters and to simultaneity biases. It emphasizes the part played by openness and export orientation as the main policy variables affecting growth. Then, the choice of bad policies, which seems to be the main proximate cause of slow growth in Africa, is traced to the lack of social capital and deficient political institutions. Résumé: Cet article est une critique de la littérature empirique sur le développement dont le but est d'en tirer quelques leçons sur l'Afrique. L'article démontre la diversité des conclusions tirées par plusieurs auteurs et fait appel à une démarche plus rigoureuse, prenant en compte l'identification des paramètres structurels et des penchants simultanés qui existent. L'importance du marché et son orientation vers l'export sont soulignées comme étant les deux variables principales qui touchent directement la croissance. Les auteurs démontrent ensuite que le choix de mauvaises politiques, qui semble être la cause principale de la faible croissance africaine, est due en effet à un manque de capital social ainsi qu'aux institutions politiques défectueuses.
Neoliberalism and International Development, 2020
This book provides a robust theoretical and empirical exploration of the interrelationship betwee... more This book provides a robust theoretical and empirical exploration of the interrelationship between economic neoliberalism and international development.
Putting the experiences of developing and transitional economies centre stage, the book investigates how their economic policies compare with the nature of economic liberalism during and after the significant economic reforms which took place from the mid-1980s. Beginning with two chapters which provide an introduction to the concept of economic neoliberalism, the second section focuses on its application to ‘practice’, and the book moves on to country/regional case studies, taken from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America, China, and Eastern Europe. The book closes with some concluding remarks summarising some of the principal findings.
Bringing together a wealth of expertise, this book clarifies controversial economic and political issues which have been significantly misunderstood in public discourse, and as such, it will be of interest to a range of researchers interested in the economic, social and political dynamics of developing and transitional countries.