Why Is Africa Poor? Economic unfreedom, not slavery or colonialism | Hacker News Reader

Why Is Africa Poor? Economic unfreedom, not slavery or colonialism

freeblackthought.substack.com

13 pointsrzk12 comments

Some background on the publisher.

    "Erec Smith, York College of Pennsylvania [is a] associate professor and co-founder of FreeBlackThought.com"

ref: https://www.bet.com/article/aw585y/black-thought-leaders-bla...

    "Erec Smith is a research fellow at the Cato Institute"

ref: https://www.cato.org/people/erec-smith

I'm not a fan of the Cato Institute either, but I don't think that single fact in isolation can be considered more than simple ad hominem. Full disclosure: I believe that any time someone talks about a whole continent in sweeping generalizations, their argument is probably lacking. I also believe that problems in the poorer parts of Africa such (DRC, Mali, Sudan, etc) cannot be simply explained just through something like Libertarian economic theory.

BUT, I also believe that it's a factor, because frankly West and Sub-Saharan Africa are not the only parts of the world that were brutally colonized. They are one of most persistently poor and dysfunctional though, and so I think more than just kneejerk "history was hard on them" is needed to explain matters.

I think the author offers one element of the puzzle, but by presenting it as a full, standalone explanation he undermines himself and misses the multifaceted nature of complex problems that vary enormously depending on WHICH African nation we're talking about.

But still, you can do better than just dismissing him because he's politically misaligned to you. DOUBLY so when he's just cross-posting someone else's work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magatte_Wade

This is the person who wrote the content, and she does not work for the Cato Institute.

She is correct. Colonial economics designed to enrich the conquering country = laws to disable the local people and a thick veneer of legalry that obstructed newcos for the people. India is also hampered by this = endemic corruption and bribery. India is better, but has far to go - Africa further but the internet will help. Africa is full of laws that make the internet very expensive. Startink does and end run on many of these = local rulers hate Starlink(for the most part) and steal installations - which are soon set up on ruler's buddies place - once Starlink knows = cut off

I found this video to be very educational. How Africa’s Geography Traps it in Endless Poverty https://youtu.be/Y8m95sCDEf0?si=vA5u5DEnFBzP5s1E

Interesting take, but I think there is another reason, Malaria.

It so devastated Africa that people started evolving resistance to it. That evolution also shortened the life of the "lucky" person who has it. Quote:

>Due to the high levels of mortality and morbidity ... has placed the greatest selective pressure on the human genetic factors provide some resistance to it including sickle cell trait

From:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria

Only recently has treatment started to work in Africa, but the damage done is still being felt. Plus the treatment is slow coming from the rich countries.

In my experience from a poor Latin America country, rich people rob those far away, poor people rob those close.

If there is no obvious diversification in the path forward, then the resources of wealth are few and easily identified. Ex: oil, banana plantations, etc. These countries are more likely to be like this. With a colonial past, there is a view by the strong they can only steal. It takes an exceptional leader who is strong, cares about his country, willing to kill to defend, and willing to not be bribed by the global powers to turn a country around. And he may still fail.

I’ve seen firsthand how overregulation and red tape slow down businesses in emerging markets. In one startup, it took months to get approvals, which drained our resources and slowed growth.

Economic freedom is key, like in Singapore, where a free market encourages innovation. If African governments reduce barriers and create fair systems for entrepreneurs, it could unlock huge potential. Streamlined policies and trade would boost investment, reduce corruption, and help lift people out of poverty. This is the way forward for Africa.

This blog post is also available as a 500 page book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1846684293

unfreedom is an orewellian sounding word

that downvote was double plus ungood

African here. It's greed.Many factors play a part, but the biggest one is greed.

In a lot of developed countries, getting into power is the start of your mandate. In Africa it is the end.

Time to start eating.To hell with the future. Why plant a tree if I can't eat from it, they say.

American here. We also have plenty of greed but we manage to control it.

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