Lelo Nxumalo

[This was a response memo for my Politics of Development class at the Harvard Kennedy School] The next star performer in development is Turkey . The reasons why Turkey is most likely to grow the fastest in the next decade can be classified into four categories: (i) favorable demographics; (ii) strong macroeconomic reforms; (iii) governance improvements; and (iv) future benefits from joining to the European Union (EU). As Turkey works to meet the required EU convergence criteria regarding debt levels, inflation, for example, international investors will continue to see the country as investment grade. A long run strategy of inclusive growth needs to be adopted in order to expand opportunities for employment. A key problem in the interim is overheating due to high short term capital inflows. Turkey has a large population of 74 million, which makes it an ideal market for domestic entrepreneurs. In addition to this, Turkey is also enjoying a demographic dividend with the share of t...

Jeffry Sachs has a goal:  to end poverty in Africa by 2025, and according to Nina Munk, he is convinced that this can easily be done. Yet Munk's account of what has come of the Millennium Village Projects , (Sachs's brain child) tells of yet another foreign intervention in Africa that has left a lot to be desired, (at least up to date). The Millennium Villages were constructed by Sachs to be incubators of success in often failing contexts. Munk writes of a man fired up with infectious energy and a strong conviction that in five short years each Millennium Village could become a harbinger of hope and a model to be scaled up. The author writes that she had initially been assigned to spend 6 months following Sachs and reporting on the progress made by MVP but ended up spending about 6 years. She was eager to hear what Sachs had to say about how per capita incomes in Africa could be improved. Her objective was to trace the flow of aid money during which journey...

The last time I fought back tears at an airport was when I first left my home country, Zimbabwe, a decade ago. In a very short space of time (2 months), Vietnam had become a home away from home (away from home) for me. As such, it was difficult bidding farewell to the many friendly people I had met. In this post I pay tribute to them as well as reflect on what I learned while doing my internship at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Saigon. My first days were difficult as I was not only fighting jet-lag but also wondered what I had just thrown myself into. (An international internship is a requirement for graduation in my program at the Harvard Kennedy School). I have  already blogged about why I chose Vietnam. It became apparent to me that I would stand out the day I arrived in Saigon. Outside Tan Son Nhat International Airport I was greeted by curious faces, many of whom probably had never seen a black man before. I shuffled through the inquisitive crowd to find ...

After presiding over economic decline marked by hyperinflation which brought Zimbabwe to its knees, president Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party have emerged as victors in the recent harmonized elections in Zimbabwe. Mugabe got 61% of the vote and his ZANU-PF party won 158 of the 210 parliament seats, giving it a two-thirds majority in the legislature. In order to understand what this means for Zimbabwe’s future, the Harvard Africa Policy Journal has obtained an exclusive telephone interview with the outgoing member of parliament of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) from Bulawayo, Mr. David Coltart. Read more here

(As I wait for the official result from the presidential election). Below is a cool graphic from   The Observatory of Economic Complexity :  a tool that allows users to quickly compose a visual narrative about countries and the products they exchange. The charts below are as of 2010. In 1995 the majority of our exports (by value) went to Europe (16% to the UK, 11% to Germany) and Japan (11%). Fifteen years later, the top destinations for Zim exports were the United Arab Emirates (20%) and China (16%). Germany's share fell to about 3% and the UK's 4.2%, while Japan's shrunk to just 3%.  Where does Zimbabwe Export To?

Vietnam plans to become a modern and industrialized country by 2020 (Socio-Economic Development Plan, 2011). One hallmark of industrialized states is the extent of the manufacturing sector, and in particular, the share of medium and high technology value added within this sector (Amsden 2004, UNIDO 2010, CIEM 2010). Manufacturing generates externalities in technology development, skill creation and learning that are crucial for competitiveness. A cursory analysis of the share of medium and high technology activities in total manufacturing exports shows a positive correlation between the latter and economic development (UNIDO, 2011). Analyzing manufacturing exports allows for a better comparison across countries as the ability to participate in global markets illustrates the competitiveness of a country. Vietnam has benefited from a program of internal modernization, a transition from its agricultural base toward manufacturing and services, and a demographic dividend powered by its yo...