Suchergebnisse

Ethiopia is one of a number of SSA economies that adopted state-led development strategies in the 1970s (others include Angola and Mozambique), and suffered from intense conflict (leading to the fall of the Derg regime in 1991). The new government was therefore faced with the twin tasks of reconstructing the economy, and embarking on the transition to a market economy. As part of this process, state banks have been reorganised, the role of the private sector in the financial system has been expanded, interest-rate controls have been liberalized, and the central bank has been given new powers of financial supervision. Financial reform has been gradual, but nevertheless determined despite disagreement with the IMF over restrictions on the entry of foreign banks and the role of the largest state bank. This paper argues that gradual financial liberalization—while simultaneously investing in regulatory capacity—is the appropriate strategy for maintaining macro-economic stability and growth in Ethiopia. In this regard, the Chinese transition strategy—in which significant control was retained over the financial sector—can be a useful guide to strategy design in SSA, provided that rent-seeking can be contained.

FOR AFRICAN PRODUCERS OF ARABICA AND ROBUSTA COFFEES, THE PATTERN OF PRICE BEHAVIOR IS EXTREMELY UNWELCOME, PARTICULARLY FOR THE COUNTRIES FOR WHICH COFFEE EXPORTS ARE NOT ONLY A MAJOR SOURCE OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE BUT ALSO AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF CASH INCOME FOR SMALL FARMERS. THIS ARTICLE REPORTS ON THE INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF COFFEE PRODUCTION AND THE GLOBAL MARKETING CHAIN. IT CONCLUDES THAT ALTHOUGH THE TRIGGER FOR A PRICE CHANGE IN THE MARKET FOR COFFEE MAY BE CLIMATIC, THE WAY IN WHICH THAT ECONOMIC CHANGE IMPACTS ON THE DIFFERENT PARTICIPANTS IN THE MARKET IS POLITICALLY DETERMINED.

Discusses development of policy in economic, environmental, and educational sectors, focusing on relationship between policy network and civil society; based on data from field research in Feb.-Apr. 1991 and May-Aug. 1995; Mauritius.