Why people recommend it
How Africa Works by Joe Studwell is a rigorous economic analysis that investigates the successes and failures of development policies across various nations on the African continent. The book was featured on the podcast Conversations with Tyler during an episode titled Joe Studwell on Africa, Asia, and What Development Actually Requires. Host Tyler Cowen engaged deeply with the text, noting its detailed examination of Botswana as a prime example of a sub-Saharan success story while acknowledging that the author covers complex geopolitical terrain. Although Cowen noted he did not agree with every conclusion in the volume, he praised it as an exceptionally well-researched and well-written piece of scholarship. Toward the end of the episode, Cowen strongly recommended the work to his listeners, pairing it with Studwell's earlier volume on Asia to form an essential reading list on global economic development. The discussion highlighted the book's value in challenging conventional wisdom and offering a pragmatic, comparative look at how different countries navigate the difficult path toward industrialization and modern economic growth.
Who recommended it
- Tyler Cowen Recommended
Tyler Cowen — 4 mentions
“It is called How Africa Works: Success and Failure on the World's Last Developmental Frontier.”
“Now you have very good coverage of Botswana in your book, which is arguably the greatest sub-Saharan African success story, putting aside South Africa as a special case.”
“Now, your recent book is on Africa, I'll just hold this up again, How Africa Works. I don't agree with everything in it, but I do really think it's an excellent, well-researched, extremely well-written book. I'll recommend it again to everyone.”
“Before my last question, just to recap, Joe's two books, How Asia Works and How Africa Works are essential reading. His earlier books are interesting as well, on Southeast Asia and finance.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I talk about it in the book, but it's principally been the hydrocarbon states that have had the most volatile growth over time.”
“I think that there is, but that is why my book concentrates - when it's presenting optimism - on what is going on in the private sector, and particularly what's going on in agriculture...”