Wednesday, September 4, 2013

African growth

When the economy grows, people have better lives.  They spend a smaller share of their resources (time, labor, money) getting the material essentials of life, and more on the non-material blessings of life like leisure time, education, etc.

Economic growth is a blessing that can and should spread to some extent throughout the community/nation, partly because those who have more income spend it with others who have something to sell.

What does it take for an economy to grow, that is, for wealth to be created?  There are several factors that will help anywhere, and have set the stage for Africa's accelerated growth in the last decade.

One important factor in Africa's growth has been increasing stability.   Africa appeared in the 1990's to be "uniquely prone to nasty political violence," but since those days wars have been on the decline.

Warlords and dictators make turmoil not only socially but also economically.  Business owners, small or big, must be able to anticipate conditions like taxes, whether employees can get to work, and whether their property will remain secure.

Fear and uncertainty caused by wars or unpredictable government can make building and maintaining a business terminally risky.

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