africa

Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
tion, then, but rather as a result of the degree to which those factors are productively
and efficiently employed. It is a measure of the growth of total factor productivity. 9
Appendix Table 12.A lists the measures we employ, characterizes them, and notes
the sources from which they came.
12.4.2 Bivariate relationships
Employing these measures, we can now turn to the use of quantitative data. Doing
so enables us to demonstrate the plausibility of our conjecture—that political change
in Africa promoted policy change in Africa, which in turn helped to fuel the continent’s
economic revival.
12.4.2.1 Electoral reform and policy choice
Drawing on data from 30 African countries for 1975–2005, in Figure 12.6, Panel A
depicts the level of RRA before and after transition to electoral competition. Panel
B depicts differences in the level of RRA in countries with and without competitive
elections over the same period. In both panels, the data suggest that countries
that reformed their institutions changed their policies and did so by reducing the
degree of urban bias. Tests suggest that the differences are significant at less than
the 0.01 level.
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