Many cross country studies have been conducted over the last twenty years to explain how various factors affect economic growth rates in the developing countries. The data in these studies - which underlie international economic comparisons and serve as the basis for economic policy...

This paper presents a theoretical framework for understanding the reforms that occurred in the CFA franc zone in the 1980s and 1990s, focusing on public debt and the exchange rate. It analyses the real-side adjustment strategy that was adopted initially. It shows how the debt problem and...

A model is presented where the ruler may arm the producers, in order to convince them that he will not expropriate them ex post. This sets an upper limit on the tax rate, not higher than their probability of losing their income, should a war occur. The relevance of this analysis is illustrated...

A positive empirical relationship is found between the level of foreign aid received by a country and the number of terrorist attacks originating from it. A simple model is used to explain it, where the donor delegates some actions against terrorism to the aid-recipient government. Aid is...

Because of transportation costs, African manufacturing firms benefit from some market power on their domestic market, where they can charge a higher price than the export price, net of transportation cost. We present a simple theoretical model of an exporting firm that discriminates between the...

This paper argues that ethnic problems are only one aspect of political violence in Africa, while violent conflicts must be thought about as a failure of the state to perform some of its fundamental tasks. State formation in Africa is a transition process starting from an institutional endowment...