Ethnicity, Inequality, and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

This book uses a multidisciplinary approach to explore the links between ethnicity, inequality, and economic development in sub¿Saharan Africa.
This book shows how ethnic identity influences all aspects of life in African societies, defining access to political institutions and economic resources, resulting in horizontal or structural inequalities. It demonstrates that ethnicity operates both directly and indirectly through political and economic institutions in which the dynamics of ethnic engagement serve as a basis for resource allocation. Drawing on a blend of micro and macro perspectives, this book assesses the economic, cultural, legal, and sociological connections among ethnicity, inequality, and economic development in sub¿Saharan Africa. Chapters provide a critical framework that grounds ethnic fragmentation as a central agency of underdevelopment and principally focus on three key areas:

• The origins and dynamics of ethnicity in sub¿Saharan Africa
• Socioeconomic inequality in sub¿Saharan Africa and its link to ethnic identity
• The relationship between governance networks and ethnic identity

A distinctive contribution to development literature, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of economics, development studies, geography, anthropology, political science, sociology, and African studies.

PART I: PERSPECTIVES ON ETHNICITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Chapter 1: Ethnopolitical and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review Chapter 2: Elitism, Ethnicity, and Development in Nigeria Chapter 3: Ethnoregional Inequality and Poverty: Social Policy as an Imperative to Stability and Inclusive Development in Sub-Saharan Africa PART II: SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND ETHNIC IDENTITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Chapter 4: The Sociopolitical Ascendancy of the Kikuyu in Post-Independence Kenya: The Colonial Legacy of Ethnic Inequality Chapter 5: Gendered Ethnicity: Compounding Inequality in Resource Distribution and Decision-Making for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 6: Ethnic Inequality and Agricultural Resource Allocation and Distribution in Nigeria: The Need for Inclusive Growth Chapter 7: Regional Trade Performance and Poverty: An Assessment of the Economic Growth Linkage in Nigeria PART III: GOVERNANCE AND ETHNIC IDENTITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Chapter 8: Not Everything Is About Ethnicity: Conflict and the Politics of Belonging in Africa Chapter 9: Socioeconomic Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Links to Governance Systems Chapter 10: Ethnic Diversity, Socioeconomic Inequality, and Conflict in Nigeria: The Case for Political and Financial Restructuring Chapter 11: Identity, Inequality, and Colonial Overhang: Law and Continuing Legacies of Divide and Rule in Nigeria