IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/95622.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Explaining Differences in Income Levels of Africa’s Largest Economies – A Development Accounting Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Ibhagui, Oyakhilome

Abstract

Drawing upon the experience of Africa’s largest economies, this paper examines the phenomenon of income discrepancies in Africa and applies the combined methodologies of Development Accounting (DA) à la Caselli (2005) and Business Cycle Accounting (BCA) à la Chari, Kehoe and McGrattan (2007) in a standard neoclassical, small open economy model. Classified into 2 equal-numbered groups – G1 and G2 – based on output size and region of location, the economies comprise Sub-Saharan Africa’s top 3 economies (G1: Nigeria, South Africa and Angola), and North Africa’s top 3 economies (G2: Egypt, Algeria and Morocco). Distortions in production efficiency, labour and capital, collectively termed wedges, are calculated, and the extent, evolution and impact of the wedges are determined for the period 1990 to 2013. Empirical results show that although efficiency wedge plays an important role in explaining income differences, labour wedge and investment wedge are also important for understanding income differences in Africa and, by extension, bridging the gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Ibhagui, Oyakhilome, 2019. "Explaining Differences in Income Levels of Africa’s Largest Economies – A Development Accounting Perspective," MPRA Paper 95622, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:95622
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/95622/1/MPRA_paper_95622.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edward C. Prescott, 2004. "Why do Americans work so much more than Europeans?," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, vol. 28(Jul), pages 2-13.
    2. Chakraborty Suparna & Otsu Keisuke, 2013. "Business cycle accounting of the BRIC economies," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 381-413, September.
    3. Del Negro, Marco & Eusepi, Stefano, 2011. "Fitting observed inflation expectations," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2105-2131.
    4. Douglas Gollin, 2002. "Getting Income Shares Right," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(2), pages 458-474, April.
    5. Kobayashi, Keiichiro & Inaba, Masaru, 2006. "Business cycle accounting for the Japanese economy," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 418-440, December.
    6. Erasmus Kersting, 2008. "The 1980s Recession in the UK: A Business Cycle Accounting Perspective," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(1), pages 179-191, January.
    7. Richard Rogerson, 2008. "Structural Transformation and the Deterioration of European Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(2), pages 235-259, April.
    8. Ohanian, Lee & Raffo, Andrea & Rogerson, Richard, 2008. "Long-term changes in labor supply and taxes: Evidence from OECD countries, 1956-2004," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(8), pages 1353-1362, November.
    9. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    10. Akos Valentinyi & Berthold Herrendorf, 2008. "Measuring Factor Income Shares at the Sector Level," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(4), pages 820-835, October.
    11. Otsu Keisuke, 2010. "A Neoclassical Analysis of the Asian Crisis: Business Cycle Accounting for a Small Open Economy," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-39, July.
    12. Pritchett, Lant, 2000. "The Tyranny of Concepts: CUDIE (Cumulated, Depreciated, Investment Effort) Is Not Capital," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 361-384, December.
    13. Konya Istvan, 2013. "Development accounting with wedges: the experience of six European countries," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 245-286, June.
    14. Peter J. Klenow & Andrés Rodríguez-Clare, 1997. "The Neoclassical Revival in Growth Economics: Has It Gone Too Far?," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1997, Volume 12, pages 73-114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ibhagui, Oyakhilome, 2015. "Development Accounting of Africa’s Largest Economies – Explaining Differences in Income Levels," MPRA Paper 89081, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Ibhagui, Oyakhilome, 2019. "Explaining differences in income levels of Africa's largest economies: A development accounting perspective," International Journal of Development and Conflict, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, vol. 9(2), pages 216-248.
    3. Konya Istvan, 2013. "Development accounting with wedges: the experience of six European countries," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 245-286, June.
    4. del Río, Fernando & Lores, Francisco-Xavier, 2021. "Accounting for U.S. economic growth 1954–2017," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    5. Caselli, Francesco, 2005. "Accounting for Cross-Country Income Differences," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 9, pages 679-741, Elsevier.
    6. Fernando del Río & Francisco‐Xavier Lores, 2023. "Accounting for the role of investment frictions in recessions," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(360), pages 1089-1118, October.
    7. Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola & Bick, Alexander & Lagakos, David, 2016. "How Do Average Hours Worked Vary with Development? Cross-Country Evidence and Implications," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145576, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Pedro Brinca & João Ricardo Costa Filho & Francesca Loria, 2024. "Business cycle accounting: What have we learned so far?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 1276-1316, September.
    9. Chen, Chaoran, 2020. "Technology adoption, capital deepening, and international productivity differences," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Peter J. Klenow, 2007. "Relative Prices and Relative Prosperity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(3), pages 562-585, June.
    11. Brinca, Pedro & Costa-Filho, João, 2021. "Economic depression in Brazil: the 2014-2016 fall," MPRA Paper 107298, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Jones, C.I., 2016. "The Facts of Economic Growth," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 3-69, Elsevier.
    13. István Kónya, 2011. "Convergence and Distortions: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland between 1996–2009," MNB Working Papers 2011/6, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary).
    14. Ben S. Bernanke & Refet S. Gürkaynak, 2002. "Is Growth Exogenous? Taking Mankiw, Romer, and Weil Seriously," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2001, Volume 16, pages 11-72, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Alexander Bick & Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln & David Lagakos, 2018. "How Do Hours Worked Vary with Income? Cross-Country Evidence and Implications," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(1), pages 170-199, January.
    16. Shekhar Aiyar & Carl-Johan Dalgaard, 2005. "Total Factor Productivity Revisited: A Dual Approach to Development Accounting," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 52(1), pages 82-102, April.
    17. Brinca, P. & Chari, V.V. & Kehoe, P.J. & McGrattan, E., 2016. "Accounting for Business Cycles," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 1013-1063, Elsevier.
    18. Vincenzo Scoppa, 2013. "Technological catch-up or neoclassical convergence? Identifying the channels of convergence for Italian regions," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 2(4), pages 169-181.
    19. Alexander Bick & David Lagakos & Hitoshi Tsujiyama & Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, 2019. "Explaining Hours Worked Across and Within Countries: Income Effects vs. Taxes and Transfers," 2019 Meeting Papers 1363, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    20. Veloso, Fernando A. & Ferreira, Pedro Cavalcanti & Pessôa, Samuel de Abreu, 2004. "The evolution of international output differences (1960-2000): From factors to productivity," FGV EPGE Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 548, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business cycle accounting; efficiency; capital and labour markets distortions; development accounting; distortions; African economies.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:95622. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.