Interrogating the contentious concepts of growth and development

Paper Presented at the University of Toronto Political Science Undergraduate Research Colloquium 2015 organized by the Association of Political Science Students on January 14, 2015 at the Hart House Debates Room Submitted to T-Space on March 5, 2015Since decolonization, the developing regions of Sub-Saharan Africa have been the subject of hot debate between ‘Afro-optimists’ and ‘Afro-pessimists’: scholars, politicians, policymakers, and entrepreneurs alike who seek to define Africa in terms of its developmental success. This debate has spanned the entire political spectrum, from the neo-Marxist dependency school to the neoclassical school. The rapid spread of liberal democracy and economic growth has begotten the return of ‘Afro-optimism’ for many. ‘Growth,’ however, is a contentious concept. It is often defined narrowly along lines of GDP and GNP growth rates, which fail to capture spatial inequalities, political corruption, and the extent to which economies are controlled by foreign actors. Furthermore, ‘growth’ ignores or fails to account for political histories and colonial legacies which are at the root of many institutional and policy failures of today. Using a comparative approach, this paper is separated into two main sections: first, examining the limits to the measurement and even the concept of growth; and second, analyzing the neocolonial emphasis on ‘progress’ in development. In sum, the paper argues: ‘growth’ and ‘development’ are neocolonial terms that have little to do with improving the quality of life in Africa, and in many ways obscure the political legacies of colonialism and the neocolonial present.Professor Rodney Haddow, Undergraduate Chair of the Department of Political Science, University of Toront