Conflict, Political Accountability and Aid

Paul Collier’s contributions to development economics,and in regard to Africa in particular, have marked him out as one of the most influential commentators of recent times. His research has centred upon the causes and consequences of civil war, the effects of aid, and the problems of democracy in low-income and natural-resource-rich societies. His work has also enjoyed substantial policy impact, having seen him sit as a senior adviser to Tony Blair’s Commission on Africa and addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations
This collection of Collier’s major writings, with assistance from Anke Hoeffler and Jan Gunning, and accompanied by a new introduction, provide the definitive account of a wide range of macroeconomic, microeconomic and political economy topics concerned with Africa. Within macroeconomics, there is a focus on external shocks, exchange rate and trade policies, whilst microeconomic topics focus upon labour and financial markets, as well as rural development. Collier’s book The Bottom Billion had become a landmark book and this summation of the research underpinning it will be a superb guide for all those concerned with African development.

Paul Collier is Professor of Economics at Oxford University. He is the author of The Bottom Billion, winner of the Arthur Ross Book Award and Lionel Gelber Prize.

Introduction Part One: Conflict 1. Greed and grievance in civil war 2. Beyond Greed and Grievance: Feasibility and Civil War 3. Unintended Consequences: Does Aid Promote Arms Races? 4. Post-Conflict Risk 5. Aid, Policy and Growth in Post-Conflict Countries 6. On the Duration of Civil War 7. On the Economic Consequences of Civil War Part Two: Political Accountability 8. Testing the Neocon Agenda: Democracy in Resource-Rich Societies 9. What are the preconditions for turnarounds in failing states? 10. Elections and Economic Policy in Developing Countries Part Three: Aid 11. Does Aid Mitigate External Shocks? 12. Aid Allocation and poverty reduction 13. Is Aid Oil?: An analysis of whether Africa can absorb more aid Part Four: Africa 14. Climate Change and Africa 15. Assisting Africa to Achieve Decisive Change 16. African Growth: Why a 'Big Push'? 17. Africa: Geography and Growth 18. Why Has Africa Grown Slowly? 19. Explaining African Economic Performance