EH.N: CfP: The Historical Roots of Poverty and Well-Being in African Countries

[M.Jerven at lse.ac.uk]

3rd European Conference on African Studies
Leipzig, Germany, on 4-7 June 2009

Call for Papers for a panel on:
The Historical Roots of Poverty and Well-Being in African Countries

Panel Organizer: Dr. Morten Jerven (M.jerven at lse.ac.uk)
Referees: Dr. Alexander Moradi (A.Moradi at sussex.ac.uk)
Dr. Gareth Austin (G.M.Austin at lse.ac.uk)

Abstract:
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:
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 that time 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.unileipzig.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 (M.Jerven at lse.ac.uk)