Ethnic Diversity and Economic Stability in Africa Revisited at Yale University

The Yale symposium was the second of a four-part series for a research project coordinated by JICA-RI Senior Research Fellow Takaaki Oiwa. The first, held in Kobe in July 2009, served as a theoretical discussion meant to elucidate the issues surrounding African economy and diversity. Since then, the returning experts of the Kobe symposium have expanded on their research and included empirical data while the newcomers offered fresh insight. Some of the participants are also currently conducting new field-based studies to further enhance the research. The Yale symposium focused specifically on the causal factors for economic instability in Africa.

The symposium series is part of the on-going JICA-RI research project "Ethnic Diversity and Economic Instability in Africa: Policies for Harmonious Development." This project, led by Kobe University professors Hiroyuki Hino and Motoki Takahashi, aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between ethnic diversity and economic instability in Africa, as well as identify economic regimes and policies that diminish the impact of ethnically-diverse communities as an underlying cause of economic instability. The project exemplifies JICA-RI's commitment to sustainable growth and poverty reduction - two of its main research areas.

Over the next two years, the four-part study will continue with the next two workshops to be held in Nairobi in mid 2010 followed by the final session in Oxford in early 2011. The Nairobi workshop will focus on Kenya as a case study due to the political and economic turmoil witnessed during the nation's 2007 elections, and the Oxford workshop will aim at actual policies for harmonious development in Africa. A final presentation of the findings is planned for Tokyo in 2011.

RELATED RSEARCH AREA: Growth and Poverty Reduction

■Agenda

January 16

Opening Session

9:00－9:10
Introduction
Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, Kobe University/JICA Research Institute
Mr. Takaaki Oiwa, JICA Research Institute

9:10－9:30
Opening Remarks
Prof. Gustav Ranis, Yale University
Prof. Ryuzo Miyao, Kobe University

Session 1

9:30－10:45
“Horizontal Inequalities and Market Instability in Africa”
Chair: Prof. Gustav Ranis, Yale University
Speaker: Prof. Frances Stewart, University of Oxford
Comment: Prof. John Lonsdale, University of Cambridge
Prof. Kimuli Kasara, Columbia University
Discussion

Session 2

10:45－12:00
“Identity, Diversity, and Economic Performance in Africa: Quantitative Analyses”
Chair: Prof. Anjan Mukherji, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Speaker: Prof. Siddharth Chandra, Michigan State University
Comment: Prof. Nahomi Ichino, Harvard University
Prof. Satish Jain, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Discussion

12:00－13:30　Lunch

Session 3

13:30－14:45
“The (Hidden) Costs of Political Instability: Evidence from Kenya’s 2007 Election Crisis”
Prof. Edward Oyugi, Kenyatta University
Prof. Jonathan Robinson, UC Santa Cruz
Comment: Prof. Bruce Berman, Queen’s University
Prof. Chris Udry, Yale University
Discussion

14:45－15:00　Coffee Break

Session 4

15:00－16:15
“Ethnicity in Relation to Conflict over Control and Access to Natural Resources in Africa: The Case of Kenya”
Chair: Mr. James Adams, The World Bank
Speaker: Prof. Oduor Ong’wen, Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiation Institute
Comment: Prof. Tavneet Suri, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Prof. Parker Shipton, Boston University
Discussion

18:30－20:30　Dinner
Speaker: Prof. Stathis Kalyvas, Yale University

January 17

Session 5

9:00－10:15
“Inter-linkage between Ethnicity and Development: An Analytical Framework”
Chair: Prof. John Lonsdale, University of Cambridge
Speaker: Prof. Motoki Takahashi, Kobe University
Comment: Prof. Michael Kremer, Harvard University
Prof. Jean Ensminger, California Institute of Technology
Discussion

Session 6

10:15－11:15
“Regional Integration in East Africa : Diversity or Economic Conformity”
Chair: Mr. Takaaki Oiwa, JICA Research Institute
Speaker: Prof. Junichi Goto, Keio University
Comment: Prof. Edward Oyugi, Kenyatta University
Mr. James Adams, The World Bank
Discussion

11:15-12:00
Discussion of Ongoing and Future Research 1
Moderator: Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, Kobe University/JICA Research Institute

“Ethnicity, Institutions, and the Provision of Public Goods by Local Governments in Kenya: Project Overview and Preliminary Research Design”
Prof. Michael Kremer, Harvard University
Prof. Ryan Sheely, Harvard University

12:00－13:00　Lunch

Session 7

13:30－13:45
Discussion of Ongoing and Future Research 2
Moderator: Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, Kobe University/JICA Research Institute

“Ethnicity as a determinant of Economic Geography: The Case of Kenya”
Prof. Nobuaki Hamaguchi, Kobe University

13:45－14:15
Summing-Up and Nairobi Program
Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, Kobe University/JICA Research Institute