This paper presents evidence on the making of the middle class in Africa by exploiting a comparable micro data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for forty-two countries over two decades consisting of over seven hundred thousand household histories. Based on an asset index constructed...

We develop a model to study the macroeconomic effects of public investment surges in low-income countries, making explicit: (i) the investment-growth linkages; (ii) public external and domestic debt accumulation; (iii) the fiscal policy reactions necessary to ensure debt-sustainability; and (iv)...

This paper describes how Africa’s wind energy market has evolved over the years and the structural characteristics affecting the development of wind energy projects on the continent; providing what we believe is the first mapping of the continent’s wind energy market . Results from a hand collected...

Despite 40 percent of households relying on household enterprises (non-farm enterprises operated by a single individual or with the help of family members) as an income source, household enterprises are usually ignored in low-income Sub-Saharan-African development strategies. Yet analysis of eight...

Despite being Africa's largest economy, South Africa still has an uncharacteristically high unemployment rate, with the formal economy unable to absorb (predominantly unskilled) surplus labour. While early claims of jobless growth in the post-apartheid era have been refuted, the rise in...

All participants are required to register online on: www.africaneconomicconference.org NOT LATER than the 20th October 2012. Only if the online registration is received by that time will it be possible for us to prepare for delegates hotel bookings and ground logistics at the conference. Completing...

Using data from the Third Cameroonian Household Survey (ECAM3), this paper examines the determinants of the differences in labour force participation between people with and without disabilities. The results obtained indicate that there is a substantial employment gap between disabled and non-...

The Seventh edition of the African Economic Conference (AEC) will be held in Kigali, Rwanda from 30 October- 2 November 2012. The AEC is organized annually by the African Development Bank, United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Since its inception...

Despite the widespread diffusion of productivity-enhancing agricultural technologies the world over, agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa has typically stagnated. This paper develops a quantitative model in order to shed light on the sources of low labor productivity in African agriculture. The model...