‘Developmental’ Policies and Rent: Comparing Russia and Sub-Saharan Africa

Caroline Dufy (1) , Alice Nicole Sindzingre (2)

1 CED - Centre Émile Durkheim
2 EconomiX - EconomiX

The article evaluates the concept of ‘developmental’ policies through a comparison between post-communist Russia and Sub-Saharan African states. Asian policies have been developmental because of successful industrial policies and leaders’ ability to implement them. The comparison shows that while these features have been absent in Sub-Saharan Africa, notably due to the trapping effects of commodity dependence, Russia exhibits an original dualistic model where the negative impact of commodity dependence (such as the creation of rents) is compatible with developmental industrial policies. It demonstrates the importance of constraints that stem from both economic and political structures, which explain variations in developmental policy effectiveness.

Mots clés: Post-communist Russia; Sub-Saharan Africa; primary commodities; industrial policies

Domaines: Economies et finances

Caroline Dufy, Alice Nicole Sindzingre. ‘Developmental’ Policies and Rent: Comparing Russia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, 2016, 54 (1), pp.69-91. ⟨10.1080/14662043.2015.1129753⟩. ⟨hal-01644139⟩