Draft of book review: R. Szereszewski, "Structural changes in the economy of Ghana, 1891-1911," London: Wiedenfeld and Nicolson, 1965

Seidman, Ann

English

Boston University Institutional Repository (OpenBU)

Boston UniversityOpenBU http://open.bu.eduSeidman Research Papers Book reviewsBook review: Structural changes inthe economy of Ghana, 1891-1911https://hdl.handle.net/2144/20736Boston UniversityrrJ ook vi • . n .. z .r z ki , "0tructur. l Ch ng l l - 1 911 , " Lo don: ie n.f ld ... n in th Le a ~ 1cols n , 19 5 .. to n l s th truct· r 1 ch r'!'es hich occurred d r:i.ng rl .f Ohan i ~ cJnomic v lo;:>ment ., sed on n lysio of or1 , 1n l ter l lo , it con3t1tut v lu b l study of' the t ure nd rolo o.f pit l or tion in thi ov lo in~, e y .. It expo es th th t the "j or· otructu 1 ch n e , . hich in i nii'ic nt shor t t nty ye r t .for ed tho t en 1old Co st lnto the r l d ' l e ding c co produc r re ~lt d pr rily fr , th pit 11 ,ti n of.' Af'r1c n l bour into coco t • r ms . hi lun le truth c nnot b ov r-em haslz 1n vie or th arsistently• hold vie th t most ocon 1c dv roe in th er o · e 1011i11li"r.t 1 s due to - or · :n c p i t l i v at lt .. lei ' s o n d t c st ... some do. t h v r, u r's th ory ( c~ .. th l tt r• 1 tr th t nlf1...,ant econ le d~v lopr:i nt y oc ui- if m loy d 1 bour , chnr ct rist1c of und rdev lo oountr1 ct ) is ut111z d to produc ~. h crop f'or ex ort . (S e pp .. 104- 7) . ~he ut or a 1 es tho · y t o Import. nt ct ot th 1ncr in ly c itnl is incre 1 l prod ·ctive ~uring t e t enty y r ari • ne , th . 1n1n industry ty 1ca1 of th "iid l y occurring p ttern' o n 1ntr uc " d ve1opment , sod on the ch.ncry equi 1 ent by pr iv te oro i n co nies it ov m. cnt as istnnc ; it docs not" , ho :rguo , ~ orive r t int r 1 v ilabllitie , .nd con ucntly doc ot otrer ot lo nt to 1ocal f ctor .... or prod ctl . .. (p . l 5) The coo belt , in contra.st, a ere t d by x1 ti le. r co · orld.ne 1th avail bl nat Jr o u er th sti · lus o~ A.fricnn enterprise o Thi zor uski holds , sugge ts the br -der 03 1biliti of . . -ti c n ic d vo Oi , . nt thr lisht:lo of ttern ct vi hich ' b - r r ctr o r c-ti n 1n c 1th their v 11 bil t y ." ( ul 06) c her r ibit con ldo tion of th et -1 zc ~z i' l )no tcchni l tt r d n rv 1-d er u sz r szc ki' el indic t t t stic Pr ct , excludi t trad it i n"ll m i on r t ( h ch , h c • p . 75- 6) 1.s t t y a r ri n v go tth t o u ti n ..... r l .r r;r th t r I" th (p . 73) . hi 1 im to conclurl th t u t nee d velo c tr e y be x c .ed to t t in rat of gr th c pit 11 tion t o~gh c h c op p cti lch r u lly con 1d r d th prlvil f d vel o d c i tri (p ulll) hi co c l u 1 i en to d bt . .y b tr cting t 0· 1 0 p e r to b ct cul r g r th. ne r nt tho 1fficulti r th t dttion l ctor (S e ix C) . , it t 1 st rgQ bl tl -t th r t h c bstituti of produ ti n t port c r v1ou ro atu:f'r nd h ic uction . It n tru , zor o s ki r . ( .p .76) th t 0 rd cti 1 rtly c le nt ry to coc output; b t th r s o videnc th t the x n 1 of c nt tl re fo output f'r ke pi c t t1wt1co on se - b me food ~t g in po ulatio • c nn t b ~od;t'o(( v-vtpv·t /<"<!v'r r.:..u2 Wi"I\. 'fej>v le.\ h-~ t pr r r h 1 t 1 Vt :inc t dlti·) l f'o tur.ra r n hborin t rrit h o.f c c o l l f o t d c d : coc likel y to 1m rt s .. ""h :robl er t d by t t n utput h s t i n rt tt tic l ly ill u t t d 1n th led, h t o o l o 1 r -- - - ---------.. :t odst r ult1n" hi h .:. rice h ser1 l di 1 t d t Th fnct th t th h v lu f th :rD of n c dr n :for th f'lr t ti into int l c rce y r 1 r pi lY» th n, do n t n co s rily e n t t r 1 roduct 1 n 1 t the rap1 r t .. To onelud f tho r sulting t t xport c o r ntly h h te or e n l d to r e th h b l to tho f de lo d Cou.n rieS i;S II to 'J th l e t o t1m1 tic . or 1 ort nt , h ver, is s~ r sz 1• r u to critic 1 uesti n r 1 by Ch t r IV 1891 nd 1911 e h s t tt evolv bet e o t r oze lf' (p .. 112) .. Thi app, rs t cont diet b ic c nclu h crop p oduetion c n in f t b a i !fie .nt in t ont o:t dev lo nt . Sz z p c op:tni ·. .. ices· ki conclud th t G ' D g b t l .2~ r from 1 11 to 1 55 . In th1 r vi uth r h und re t 1.mat d th tr,, ct o r ll th ff ct or possibl rt r oubst itutio of c h crops for tr dition 1 product! _ • · v th les , hi d oc by c a mm jor c nclus ion is v lid: ft 1 od t ct produc ion . lly the s r ct red f 1 • l y c nvinc1ng 11 c n 1 ttl 0 0 1 1 -co or ,0 , co ti I e t be · o ted .. he gro th 1n tho c it 1-ln our r at i s l it d pri.m. 11.{ t th r t . of infra tr ict J.ro , s t h e uth r int 00 t te " ~ o.f d v l op e t . { . 10 ) . t ctur 1 u a plo .. c t 1 s nting .. I s rizes t h thus: It 1 not en h to cl t , s .1zcr szo aki 0 _n hi f'i 1 r h th t " no 'la of entr op. ' c n bo invo_ d'' • ( .112) . Th r ct thnt it took rif'ty . e rs to eh··ev n D n ic t c s ould em s c t sur on his s rti • If th 1891- 1911 0 n x 1s to b held u 8. m el for oth -countr1 in th! of r1 1 x ct t1on , xp tion r quir • Tho t ru h 1 t ·z roozo 'I k 1• s odel bstr cts er cial v :rt1 b le ich ld hav b d hi t xpl i n hy tho o y ' !'oss11 1z " for h 1 ce tury . ~1r t , by h l•i h i r .in ti or t c in u try t t t g , he f il to consid r jor t l i 1ta.t1ons of one crop econ Y• In t e lo run, t . rk t .for ltur 1 ox orts c nn t b ct d to t r te 01' mor than year, t r th b r y h igh onou to prov1 r r th p o u1 ti on 1ncr e, l t l one f or r p i d ly incr sed living rd 1n d v 1 c ntri s .. ny coun d en 1 l 0 ...; c n ly e eri nco t - ru of t h du to th nit1 l ex n ion of n kt ere t d ic l or• th r r ctor ; r at th r ot r - ------- s -producorD. Gh n hoc 1 1n C COl ih th 18 l-1911 p riod t 1 a t in rt t th ot o cou tr! • uc h C l)11l titio jar nctor l di to t: 111 r l rices f.'or r c n 1n r c n t :re r .. ·'urt e or , n c op - - ----op rt n th crld . rk t pric for th t er p t: 11 111 trntod nll too d ~ tic lly by G ru ' x r nc or th t r ~s . .. 1nn. lly, the still h crop prod ct 1 r not tho'o re u red r od r , st igh- r uct · v1ty industr l econ y . urt wUCh a t t ~ by Oh n i n t l 11 p 1od cortrlbut t con io in oo.t tho count th ., • t 10 1-to ·ni us to th crit ic 1 1 1th 1 h ci• l ly r 11 tod 1 11. t n to th urplu c t by th conv io r le n 1 brur into c it l in t~e c lt? 111 odol , by x _, ori th t u ot the G only, b t ct t th out fl r1 e very colo cono y !nit l c pit 1 n t ont ha b n Thi t ... l 1 by on -Cl'Op C 1ntri s v n l' I t coc ustry, tho c it inv t n -- 6 -ntir ly er ted b tho l our of' th f'ric ns the elv • t.:>ur lu re d ined out in ho f rm of. pr fit cc 1 t d directly by r e n firms { nd soei t d .fin n in titu-tio ) hich buy n d ship th· Afric. n- produc d er to .f ctor1 br * Prolo ed periods of vors n1 01' .. t e (auch in th late l 20-1 30 nd l t 0 - l. 60s) o tr but to urth rd_ G 1 1th . y 1 nori thi d t. of a jor r 0 h lt er t d by .fric l hour Sz r sz ki by- the hol iss e im ri l.t xplo t tio ; .. t urely h i th in re s it n p r ntly ct cul r l iti l urt , Gh n e en-tlo.11 under-d v l o d f o 11' entury . It ah reit rnted 0 that this outfl . ca t b c d b r l lncing c l oni l dmini t tors 1th Af 1 1.sters; but onl by cre~tlng c~r ully pl nne econo desi ed to d the omi of' ro ei n f lr x ort . cto nd to ro irect the jor urp u es r c t o b nee c ic d velopm,nt thra.i hout the econ y . zcr z . ki• s lyt1c 1 techniqu ob cu es tho c t t t t limi urpluses ich did ro in 1 h n crue f'or th mo t rt to f irly a 11 Jr p or l l - t do fr ic n r n. t dcrs, probably l than 5 - 7% of th 0 tion . ec nt s udies indic te t t ab t l J or the coco era , tho o n f'o.irl y s izeabl piec of 1 m ** n rmu l l y employ ulte ber 'abu a" (share crop) te t h1r bourer ~ bout half' the co ecru in· ·to 11 coc UC r • by th coe nd l , ... 7 -e , lthy co 00 f mers h v not, f'o t 0 t p 1 vo ted their ccumul t ealth in l ndust to re o.pin~ t e econcmy . Th y ck t chnic ith roin a cap1t l out of th country hns d. q . to su. s to cronte t h opt · mu. -., 1z d 1 u trie n oded to compete with imported . Th r f"o , th 11·· - do. fric n f ru r h th ir alth 1n mon y 1 ding , x nd d trad1 ti r 1 est to urch s ( includio ore coc urb n l. nd.) . In other a ' t ·gro t f ht t t au th in a f•o or c i t l:i.st t;r1c ltur l ." , to th nc Of n econ ic cl sses in G n ·: to S - CU I tr d r • curn oney l nd r - -n ; n gr 1ng number of h re crop r rmer e b r rs on th othe1 .. . co h ving r te st t vie ' t m rn d 0 cul -l l * s . co r ct ly bly, th 11-th on nd hired p er t:ro the :it iti h , nifica t port on of tho re ~lt ng 1.clpient t 1 t cl , could b - lik 11 p l1t1cal h con 1c roup be f 1tt ng fro th _________ u..,.o - ose x c tion of pr r rmne tr s plu 1 nc d cono ic d v lop ent r qulre:i to ' • f or g t r ift b nds to to lthy ' - 8 -In sum, Szeresze ski• s model constitutes a valuable analysis o~ original m teri 1 v.t.iich exposes the signi:fic nt truth that the development or the Ghanaian coc indus t:ry i.: o.s achi ve primarily by frican:J using Afric n nntural r o cc , rn.thcr t an foreign inv tm nt . everth 1 s , t fni l to explain why after an init · a1 spurt, th tru~tu al pa t teran "almoat rroze f or half a centu .fact which s ems to contr diet the thesis t hat reduction Of Cl"O f or export c _stitute an important in tr ent for econo1 1 develop nt . Ry ab st ct 1 :fran th drain o:f ca ital by U. ~ . truding-manu acturing i'irms Which controlled export- nport tr de , Sz esze ski•s model simply ignores the primary f'orm or oxploita t ion ~hich ha 1 ft most ne l y inde e _d nt frican ot a.tes s t .ill struggl ing on the thre hol d f development . ! or var , hi. mvth d f nal y is obs ures the em r~ nc of class of c pit 11 t fa cr s and traders i n Gh na i ts 1£; yet i t i s thla olaas ·hi h , on having olit ical po er ithin 1 gra p , has re ictabl y resisted offorts to inve~t surplus~ produced in th coc belt to carry out a programm of national r construction to r ise t he living t ndards of a ll · eo l • 

Book review: Structural changes in the economy of Ghana, 1891-1911

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Book review: Structural changes in the economy of Ghana, 1891-1911

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