Full Description
Despite expectations that the celebrated second wave of constitutional democracy in the 1990s would facilitate economic development, Africa remains the continent with the highest level of poverty in the world. The fight against poverty hinges on a vibrant economy that creates jobs and income by generating enough revenue to enable the state to take pro-development measures. However, instead of the economic benefits that were supposed to accrue from the constitutional reforms of the last three decades (including entrenching a market economy), African economies remain weak, a situation that has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By focusing on the relationship between constitutionalism and economic growth in Africa, this volume addresses five questions: (1) In the constitutional reforms of the 1990s and thereafter, did constitutions also reflect the shift towards a market economy, and if so, in what manner? (2) Given that agriculture and extractive industries are the main sources of state revenue in many African economies, how are matters of land and other natural resources dealt with constitutionally? (3) Where the market economy is captured in a constitution, what is the state's relationship to that economy: interventionist or laissez-faire, or somewhere in between? Have constitutions also established a 'social' state that provides its citizens with the basic elements of a dignified life? (4) In the process of constitution-making and implementation concerning the economy, what impact has globalization had on constitutionalism and economic growth in Africa? (5) Finally, how has the relationship between constitutionalism and economic growth played out in practice? Is there a symbiotic relationship? Has constitutionalism led (or may do so) to greater economic prosperity?
Constitutionalism and the Economy in Africa offers a range of comprehensive arguments and case studies that will be of interest and use to academics, post-graduate students, judges, lawyers, economists, and policy makers involved in the economic role of the State, the impact of globalization, and the constitutional foundations for land and natural resources exploitation.
Contents
Trevor Manuel: Introductory Remarks
Nico Steytler and Charles M Fombad: Introduction
Part I: Concepts and Context
1: Nico Steytler: Constitutionalism and the Economy: Concepts and Questions
2: Ramos Emmanuel Mabugu: Relationships between the Economy and Constitutionalism in Sub-Saharan Africa
3: Stephan F. H. Ollick: Constitutional Law and the Economy: Comparing Liberal Market Orders
Part II: Constitutionalising a Market Economy
4: Charles M Fombad: Comparative Overview of Measures and Devices to Shape the Economy in Some Modern African Constitutions
5: Nico Steytler: The Unravelling of the Constitution, Economy and Constitutionalism in South Africa
Part III: The Constitutional Framework for Land and Natural Resources
6: John Hursh: Protecting the Land, Protecting the Resources: A Comparative Assessment of Constitutional Protections within Kenya, Sudan, and South Sudan
7: Heinz Klug: The Political Economy of Post-Colonial Constitutionalism in Southern Africa
8: Makanatsa Makonese: Land, Conflict and the Economy: The Role of the Constitution in Addressing the Land Issue in Post-Independence Zimbabwe
9: Hanri Mostert: Custodial Resource Holding as an Expression of Constitutional and Economic Intent in Africa
10: Henning Melber: Namibia s Resource-Based Economy: Protection vs Exploitation of Nature
Part IV: The Constitutional Framework for the State s Role in the Economy
11: Sherif Elgebeily: The New Economic Empire of the Egyptian Military: A Lesson in Blurred Lines and Constitutional Transgression
12: Solomon Negussie: Determining the Jurisdiction of Regional States in Promoting Investment in Ethiopia: A Constitutional and Practical Inventory
Part V: Impact of Globalisation on the Economy and Constitutionalism
13: Adem Kassie Abebe: Taming the Spectre of Unsustainable Public Debt in Africa: A Heightened Role for Constitutions
14: Eva Maria Belser: The Turn to Global Constitutionalism at the WTO and its Impact on African Constitutionalism
Part VI: General Conclusion
15: Nico Steytler: Constitutionalising the Market Economy and the Quest for Constitutionalism
