This article examines the importance of one possible explanation for the failure of African countries to step onto the bottom rung of the manufacturing sophistication ladder, that is to produce apparel. Used-clothing donations to thrift shops and other organisations in industrialised countries...

This paper examines some of the recent literature on the identi�cation of production functions. We focus on structural techniques suggested in two recent papers, Olley and Pakes (1996), and Levinsohn and Petrin (2003). While there are some solid and intuitive indenti�cation ideas in these...

In the context of Africa, which firms are driven out of business? Given that many markets do not function efficiently in Africa, the determinants of firm exit may not be the same fundamentals that force business closure elsewhere. In particular, less productive firms may not be the ones forced...

This paper explores whether one of the most important U.S. policies towards Africa of the past few decades achieved its desired result. In 2000, the United States dropped trade restrictions on a broad list of products through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Since the Act was...

This paper investigates whether one of the most important U.S. policies toward Africa of the past few decades achieved its desired result. In 2000, the United States dropped trade restrictions on a broad list of products through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Since the act was...