This book addresses the question of whether greater inclusion in the global economy offers a solution to rising unemployment and poverty in contemporary Africa. The authors trace the connection between global demographic change and new mechanisms of economic inclusion via global value chains, digital networks, labour migration, and corporate engagement with the bottom of the pyramid, challenging the claim that African workers have become functionally irrelevant to the global economy. They expose the shift of global demand for African workers from formal to increasingly informalised labour arrangements, mediated by social enterprises, labour brokers, graduate entrepreneurs and grassroots associations. Focusing on global employment connections initiated from above and from below, the authors examine whether global labour linkages increase or reduce problems of vulnerable and unstable working conditions within African countries, and considers the economic and political conditions needed for African workers to capture the gains of inclusion in the global economy. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Development Studies.

Against a background of calls to prioritise the improvement of financial inclusion in Africa, this book provides an analysis of current financial inclusion measures in Southern Africa. Evaluating the existing strengths and weaknesses of financial inclusion in Africa, it identifies opportunities to improve inclusive financial services and aid poverty reduction in the region. With a focus on South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe as case studies for assessing current financial inclusion in the context of particular challenges faced by unbanked and underbanked customers, who are easy targets for cybercriminals due to low levels of digital literacy, it looks into the regulation and promotion of financial inclusion in Southern Africa. The book explores financial inclusion in the context of digital transformation in the 21st century, examining the regulation and promotion of financial inclusion in the context of digital transformation, as well as the challenges related to financial inclusion. Suggesting improvements to aspects of company law, securities and financial markets in the Southern African Development Community region, the book offers a comprehensive study on the regulation and promotion of financial inclusion in the Southern African Development Community region. It will be essential reading for students and academics researching financial inclusion, international economic law and development.

This book is a state-of-the-art discussion of what has succeeded (and failed) in the design and implementation of projects and institutions to assist the poor in developing country economies. In Africa especially, far too many people are still living under conditions of extreme poverty. The goal of the book is twofold: (1) to identify and assess the key processes through which markets affect the livelihoods of the rural poor; and (2) to propose micro- and macro-level policies and innovations to address the problems of inclusion that arise. Featuring contributions from leading scholars and professionals in the field, this volume is timely to all those involved in designing innovative institutions that transfer capital and technologies to low-income countries facing the challenges of poverty alleviation and economic development.

Many empirical analyses have demonstrated that financial inclusion and remittance inflows both indicate the potential of finance to resolve issues of growth and poverty in developing countries. Based on a wide-ranging review of prior research and empirical analyses from a new perspective, this book aims to systematically clarify the relations between financial inclusion, remittance inflows, economic growth, and poverty reduction in developing countries, revealing a new role for development finance.

This book presents the assumptions, narratives, and institutions that underpin the key concepts and investigates the limits and potential of financial inclusion development strategy for gender equality. Using South Africa’s women entrepreneurs as a central case, the book interrogates the logic and politics of financial inclusion and gender equality globally and locally. It also examines conditions that explain financial inclusion and women’s empowerment concerning women-owned businesses in post-apartheid South Africa. Finally, it presents a debate on the socio-economic factors enabling and limiting women’s access to and using financial products to improve their socio-economic empowerment and the future suggestions, policies and recommendations on financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs in South Africa.

This book focuses on the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) in Africa and examines the role of the private sector in the fight against poverty. The BOP concept, which is a market-based approach to poverty eradication, presents a great avenue for businesses to develop opportunities and new business models that enable and empower those in the BOP population in Africa to raise their socio-economic welfare and well-being. The BOP market and the business interest in the BOP in Africa is rising. This book furthers our understanding of the characteristics of BOP markets in Africa, and the challenges and opportunities to address poverty and development in a sustainable manner. The book covers various themes of BOP markets and their embeddedness in social-cultural settings in Africa. The different chapters employ a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to advance research and practice of BOP in Africa. The book chapters reflect multiple diversities that characterise sub-Saharan Africa based on studies in 13 country contexts and from five industry sectors. This book is recommended reading for managers and policy makers, as well as students and academics interested in Base of the Pyramid markets.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of economic crimes and market ‘irregularities’, including matters of trickery, parallel economy, illicit trade, economies of violence and criminalisation of the poor in neoliberal Africa. It investigates economic crime as a phenomenon of neoliberal reform and transformation, and it unpacks crime as a societal – and particularly as a political-economic – phenomenon under capitalism. The book brings together a collection of research articles, briefings and updated blog posts that were published over a period of nearly 40 years (1986–2023), in the acclaimed journal Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE) and on its website roape.net. Featuring contributions from leading experts in the field, including a foreword by Yusuf K. Serunkuma and an afterword by Laureen Snider, this volume explores what these crimes have to do with, and can tell us about, state-business relations, regulation, capitalist transformation, and the corporation on the continent, shedding light on the co-production of the crimes by a range of actors from the realms of business, politics, state and international development, including major reform advocates such as international financial institutions (IFIs) and other donors. It responds to the imperative to advance the analysis of the link between capitalism and crime in Africa and to locate capitalism more centrally in the analysis of economic crimes, as more African countries move from being societies with capitalism to capitalist societies. Illustrating the relevance of African countries to debates in criminology, corporate crime, state crime, crimes of the powerful and illegality, this volume engages with and mobilises a variety of literatures to analyse economic crimes as phenomena of global and local capitalism and provides readers from academia, government, business, media, civil society and education a striking source of information and analysis.

Since the 1990s, several emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) have, to varying degrees, embraced the process of financial globalisation, broadly defined as a set of policies that involve allowing for greater openness to cross-border capital flows as well as greater market access to foreign financial institutions. This book provides a systematic empirical analysis on the complex interactions between financial sector development, macroeconomic and financial stability in EMDEs in general and those in the Asian region in particular. The book consists of three sections pertaining to monetary and exchange rate policies under financial globalisation; financial inclusion and macroeconomic policies in the context of financial liberalisation; and finally, the dynamics of foreign direct investment flows and their real impacts in EMDEs. Each of the chapters analyse important economic policy issues of contemporary relevance and is informed by data and rigorous empirical analysis. The book will be appealing to anyone interested in exploring the implications of a key set of issues emanating from financial globalisation on EMDEs in a rigorous but readable manner.

Transformative new technologies are reshaping economies and societies. But as they create new opportunities, they also pose new challenges, not least of which is rising inequality. Increased disparities and related anxieties are stoking societal discontent and political ferment. Harnessing technological transformation in ways that foster its benefits, contain risks, and build inclusive prosperity is a major public policy challenge of our time and one that motivates this book. In what ways are the new technologies altering markets, business models, work, and, in turn, economic growth and income distribution? How are they affecting inequality within advanced and emerging economies and the prospects for economic convergence between them? What are the implications for public policy? What new thinking and adaptations are needed to realign institutions and policies, at national and global levels, with the new dynamics of the digital era? This book addresses these questions. It seeks to promote ideas and actions to manage digital transformation and the latest advances in artificial intelligence with foresight and purpose to shape a more prosperous and inclusive future.

The first volume focuses on globalization, international migration, employment, labour agency, technological change, and labour resilience. This book aims to examine how labour institutions, both in developed and developing countries, have responded to the challenges faced over the last 30 years. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in labour economics, political economy, and development economics.