AFRICA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY



AFRICA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Syllabus – Spring 2008

Instructor: Dr. Renata Serra

Office: 421 Grinter Hall (Center for African Studies)

Phone/Email: 846-0473; rserra@africa.ufl.edu

Office hours: M 2-4pm and R 11.30am-12.30pm

Course numbers: AFS 4905 (4749); ECO 4934 (2525)

Class time and venue: T and R, P 3-4 (MAT 102)

Course description:

Within a seemingly global world, Africa is often portrayed as the least ‘integrated’ continent: one with declining shares in world trade and foreign direct investment; geographically isolated due to poor transport and insufficient infrastructures; and politically and strategically marginal. Yet, the African continent and people are highly ‘global’ in many significant dimensions, both ‘taking’ from the rest of the world and ‘contributing’ to it (especially through highly skilled migrants, financial transfers such as debt interest and capital repayments, and lucrative investment opportunities in the extractive and natural resource sectors).

This course provides an opportunity to examine more carefully the African continent position globally, by paying attention to the economic and financial flows taking place in and out of Africa. We will look at the challenges posed by current global economic phenomena, within the context of unequal power relationships among world nations, but also at the options available to African nations to improve their position, and get a ‘fair and better deal’.

The aim is to equip students with the analytical and factual instruments to think critically of the various implications of different modes of globalization, rather than merely glorifying or demonizing global processes. Particular attention will be paid to US-Africa economic relations, and to specific case studies, in order to help students place the broad issues into context.

Course Requirements:

Final evaluation will depend on how well you do on four components. Each component will be assigned a number of points, and their total (for a max of 200 points) will determine your final grade. The four components and associated max points are:

1. Class presence, participation and interventions in class discussion (up to 30 points);

2. Two class tests (up to 50 points each; up to a total 100 points);

3. Three home assignments (up to 10 points each; up to a total of 30).

4. Group project (40 points)

The final grade is obtained by totaling your points (tot. max is 200) and assigning as follows:

|181-200: A |176-180: B+ |161-175: B |156-160: C+ |

|140-155: C |130-154: D |Below 130: fail | |

There is no final exam.

• Attendance is essential and you are required to be in class on time. You can total three unjustified absences without any penalty, after which I will take one point off for every subsequent unjustified absence. It is in your interest to let me know, in advance if possible, if/why you missed class. Frequent late arrivals, as well as un-respectful class demeanor (see also next point), will also lead to points taken off.

• It is very important you participate actively in all class activities (mere physical presence won’t do). It is forbidden to use cell phones, surf the internet, read the newspaper or use emails. Computers can be accepted only for taking class notes.

• Class tests will include two sections: the first requiring definitions or very short answers, the second asking few more in-depth questions. Test dates are in the time schedule below.

• Each of the three home assignments will consist of a written essay (up to 3 pages long) on a given topic. More information to come.

• Group projects involve working in groups of about 3 students each, researching a previously agreed topic and case study (e.g. retailer industry in South Africa). The group will make a class presentation on a specified date and produce a final jointly written report (of about 15 pages). More information to come.

Academic Honesty: The University places a high premium on academic honesty. Accordingly, severe penalties are imposed for plagiarism and other instances of deception or fraud. The university’s policies regarding intellectual honesty are detailed in the Academic Honesty Guidelines, printed in full in the current Undergraduate Catalog (see ).

Students with disability: students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.

Do you like courses with African content and you want to know more? Then learn about the many opportunities UF offers to increase your knowledge of Africa:

• The Center for African Studies offers many courses with an African content. You can pick up a free booklet with details from 427 Grinter, and ask more information.

• Many stimulating opportunities exist, such as Semester and Summer Study Abroad Programs (including the prestigious Lumbardi Program). For more info contact the CAS deputy director Todd Leedy (427 Grinter; email tleedy@africa.ufl.edu).

• Do you want to meet your foreign language requirement in a different and exciting way? Learn one of several African languages taught by AALL department. For more information contact Dr C. Bwenge at cbwenge@africa.ufl.edu.

• Are you taking, or planning to take, other courses in African Studies? If so, you may qualify for a Minor in African Studies. Make sure you declare it: in the past, some students who qualified, failed to declare it! Dr Leedy will be happy to help you make the process even easier: he will send the form for you!

Course resources:

The course reading will come mainly from three sources:

• GfD, short for Goldin, I and Reinert, K. Globalization for Development, The World Bank and Palgrave MacMillan, 2006. This is a required textbook.

• CP, short for Course Packet, containing book chapters and extracts. This is to be purchased at OBT, 13th Street.

• OCR, short for Online Course Reserve, for accessing journal articles, and document downloaded from the internet. You need to register and log in on to access such material. Please consult the online course reserve on a regular basis since additional course material (including my class presentations) will be posted there throughout the semester (the best is to sign up for email alert).

• Finally, few items should be accessed directly through the internet, in which case a full website is provided.

In addition to the above required texts and sources, I would suggest you to buy (if you can) the following report; otherwise one copy has been reserved for you at West Library reserve desk:

o Lake A. and Whitman CT More Than Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach Toward Africa (Independent Task Force Report)

The syllabus and any useful information related to the course will be posted on my website .

Class Time Schedule: Please consider that the Instructor reserve the right to make minor modifications during the semester

1. Globalization: multiple dimensions, players, and outcomes

• Tu Jan. 8: Course overview

• Th Jan 10: Dimensions of globalization; winners and losers

o GfD: Chs. 1-2

o OCR: Birdsall N, “Stormy days on an open field””

• Tu Jan 15: Understanding the players

o Browse the following websites; familiarize with terms/policies/programs:

▪

▪ (and also africa)

▪

▪

▪ Google “world social forum Africa”

▪

• Th Jan 17: Globalization: effects on African economies

o OCR: Round, 2007 “Globalization, growth, inequality and poverty in Africa” WIDER Research WP No. 55

o OCR: Kulundu Manda “Globalization and the labor market in Kenya”

• Tu Jan 22: Africa-US global relations

o CP: Rothchild and Keller, 2006, Africa-US Relations Ch. 1

o “Why global development matters for the US” and “Global trade, jobs, and labor standards”:

• Th Jan 24: Critical reflections

o CP: Abdul-Raheem T, “An African Perspective on Globalization”

o CP: Lane JE, “Globalization and the institutional deficit”

2. International trade: a look at some sectors

• Tu Jan 29: Comparative advantages and trade

o CP: Ray D, Development Economics, pp. 627-36

o CP: Krugman P, “Myths and Realities of US competitiveness”

o GfD: Ch. 3

• Th Jan 31: Value chain analysis: theory and applications

o OCR: Kaplinski, 2004 “Spreading the gains from globalization”

• Tu Feb 5: African trade structure and performance

o OCR: UNCTAD, 2003 Economic Development in Africa: Trade performance and commodity dependence

o OCR: UNCTAD, 2007, Erosion of trade preferences in the post-Honk Kong framework

• Th Feb 7: Fair trade

o CP: Tallontire, A. 2006 “The Development of Alternative and Fair Trade”

• Tu Feb 12: Traditional cash crops: Cocoa and coffee

o OCR: Gilbert and Varangis, 2003 “Globalization and international commodity trade with specific reference to the West African cocoa producers”

o CP: Campher, H. 2006, “Oxfam’s Coffee Campaign: an NGO perspective”

• Th Feb 14: High-value agricultural exports

o CP: English, Jaffee and Okello “Exporting out of Africa. The Kenya horticulture success story”

• Tu Feb 19: Clothing manufacturing within AGOA

o OCR: Gibbon, 2003 “The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the global commodity chain for clothing”

• Th Feb 21: The furniture industry in South Africa

o OCR: Kaplinski et al, “The globalization of product markets and immiserizing growth: lessons from the South African furniture industry”

Tu Feb 26: Class test 1

3. International migration and the diaspora

Th Feb 28: Global and African trends in migration

o GfD, Ch. 6

o OCR: UN DESA, “Overview: World Economic and Social Survey 2004: International Migration”

Tu March 4: The role of the diaspora

o OCR: Mohan and Zack-Williams, 2002 “Globalization from below: Conceptualizing the role of the African diasporas in Africa’s development” Review of African Political Economy

Th March 6: Brain drain and brain gain

o OCR: Martineau, Decker and Bundred, 2004, “Brain Drain of health professionals: from rhetoric to responsible action”

o OCR: Kapur and McHale, “The global migration of talent: what does it mean for Developing Countries?”

March 10-16: Spring Break Week

4. Investment and financial flows

Tu March 18: Africa’s position

o GfD, Ch. 4

Th March 20: FDI, with emphasis on China and India

o UNCTAD 2007 Asian Foreign Direct Investment in Africa (Chs. 1, 3 and a case study)

o CP: OECD, “Foreign Direct Investment” (Ch 7 from Goldstein et al. 2006, The Rise of China and India: What’s in it for Africa?)

Tu March 25: Investment by TNCs and corporate social responsibility

o OCR: Global Witness, 2007 Oil and Mining in Violent Places

o Case study: ‘Oil, Shell and impact on the Niger delta’:

▪

▪

5. Some contentious international issues

• Th March 27: WTO and subsidies to agriculture

o OCR: Oxfam, 2002, “Cultivating Poverty. The Impact of US cotton subsidies on Africa”

o Search for latest news on the issue

• Tu April 1st: International labor standards (case study on child labor in cocoa farms)

o Elliott KA, and Freeman R, “Globalization versus labor standards?”

6. Aid, economic reforms and debt

Th April 3: International Aid to poor countries

o GFD, Ch. 5

o CP: “Aid and trade policies” in: Rotchild and Keller, 2006, ch. 10

Tu April 8: Economic reforms and aid

o GFD, Ch. 7-8

o CP: Van de Walle, N., 2001, ‘The crisis and foreign aid’

Th April 10: Donors: US and China

o Read as much as you can from ‘The US and foreign aid assistance’:

o OCR: Davies P, China and the End of Poverty in Africa, Dakonia and Eurodad

Tu April 15: Foreign Debt

o CP: “Debt and Debt Relief” in: Rotchild and Keller, 2006, ch. 9

7: Final considerations

Th April 17: Towards the future: tensions and challenges

o CP: Gibson NC, 2004, ‘Africa and globalization: Marginalization and resistance’

o OCR: Council of Foreign Relations, 2006 More than Humanitarianism: A strategic US approach towards Africa pp. 3-27 & 105-130

Tu April 22: Class Test 2

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