3rd European Conference on African Studies (ECAS 3),Leipzig, Germany, on 4-7 June 2009
Calling for Papers for a panel on:
The Historical Roots of Poverty and Well-Being in African Countries Panel Organizer: Dr. Morten Jerven ([email protected])
Referees:
Dr. Alexander Moradi
([email protected])
Dr. Gareth Austin
([email protected])
Abstract (50 words):

This panel responds to the recent efforts of tracing the historical roots of current divergence of incomes and occurrences of poverty in the world. It has been argued that the fundamental cause of current income levels is the lack of pro-growth institutions, which originated under the colonial system. This session welcomes new research that suggests new evidence and methods to explain long-term economic and social change in African countries.
Panel Description (250 words):

A recent development in the field of economic history, albeit with older antecedents, which has spurred a great scholarly interest, is the effort of tracing the historical roots of current divergence of incomes and occurrences of poverty in the world. It has recently famously been argued that the fundamental cause of current income levels is the lack of pro-growth institutions, which originated under the colonial system. However, tracing the cause of current economic success long back in history runs the risk of neglecting important developments which lie in between time t=0 and today.
Growth has been episodic in developing countries, and it is a major challenge to distinguish, which periods were important and which were perverse or unsustainable.

This session welcomes new research that suggests new evidence and methods to explain long-term economic and social change and by implication the current predicament of African countries.

Poverty and well-being are broadly defined, including indicators like education, health, and inequality, in addition to the conventional national income measures and its derivates. Important issues to be considered in the session are suggested as, but not exclusive to the origins and evolution of factors and policies which have had an influential and persistent impact on current well-being, the importance of the colonial impact, the importance of institutions and institutional continuity. Studies confronting the concept of legacy, pointing to changes of fortunes despite the persistence of underlying conditions, are also welcome.

Submit your abstract here: http://www.uni-
leipzig.de/ecas2009/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=74&Itemid=24
Panel 62: Historical Roots of Poverty and Well-Being in African Countries at ECAS 2009
3rd European Conference on African Studies (http://www.uni-leipzig.de/ecas2009/)
And/or email panel organizer: Morten Jerven ([email protected])