EU-African Economic Relations: Continuing Dominance, Traded for Aid?

Kohnert, Dirk (2008): EU-African Economic Relations: Continuing Dominance, Traded for Aid?

Abstract

Promising growth rates, increased trade, and competition among major global players for African resources have boosted the development and bargaining power of sub-Saharan Af-rica (SSA) in relation to the EU. However, Africa's least developed countries remain vulner-able to external shocks. Academic analysis is still too heavily influenced by scholastic con-troversies. Neither the controversy over “big-push” concepts nor the blaming of African cul-ture as an impediment to growth or good government do justice to the real issues at stake. Even beyond the aftermath of (neo)colonialism, and notwithstanding continuing deficits in good government in many African countries, the EU bears responsibility for the fragile state of many African economies. The self-interested trade policies of the EU and other world powers contribute to poverty and unsatisfactory development in SSA. This threatens to per-petuate asymmetrical power relations in the new Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), to the detriment of regional integration and pro-poor growth. However, mounting competi-tion between China and other global players for Africa's resources is resulting in windfall profits for Africa. The latter is leading to a revival of seesaw politics, already known from the times of the Cold War, on the part of African states. This could be profitable for Africa's power elite, but not necessarily for Africa's poor.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: economic integration;trade policy;aid;international migration; regional integration;EU;Africa;China
• Subjects: F - International Economics > F2 - International Factor Movements and International Business > F22 - International Migration; F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F13 - Trade Policy ; International Trade Organizations; P - Economic Systems > P4 - Other Economic Systems > P45 - International Trade, Finance, Investment, and Aid; F - International Economics > F5 - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy > F59 - Other; F - International Economics > F4 - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance > F42 - International Policy Coordination and Transmission; F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F15 - Economic Integration; N - Economic History > N4 - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation > N47 - Africa ; Oceania; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes; F - International Economics > F2 - International Factor Movements and International Business > F24 - Remittances

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