The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes Can African countries mimic Asia’s economic success? With Joe Studwell
26 snips
May 22, 2026 
Joe Studwell, author and economist known for How Asia Works and How Africa Works, offers a concise mini bio. He explores why Asia’s policy mix succeeded: farm support, export manufacturing and financial controls. He argues Africa’s low density, disease burden and colonial legacies shaped its path. He outlines agriculture-first policies, manufacturing prospects and cautious optimism about demonstration effects.
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The Three Pillars Behind Asia's Rapid Growth
- Asia's success rested on a repeatable policy mix of supported smallholder farming, export-focused manufacturing, and financial manipulation.
- Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China refined European/US catch-up tools: higher agricultural yields, aggressive manufacturing share, capital controls and targeted credit allocation.
Population Density Explains Governance Limits
- Low population density in Africa limited tax capacity, city growth and state capacity, which explains weak historical governance more than inherent failings.
- Small, dispersed rural populations made taxation and public service delivery costly, producing 'low-budget colonialism' and minimal colonial investment.
Disease Burden Kept African Cities Too Small
- Africa's low population density was rooted in a heavy disease burden—malaria, sleeping sickness and communicable diseases—which kept cities tiny into the 20th century.
- In 1900 Dar es Salaam and Lagos had ~20,000 people each, preventing fiscal cities and large-scale public education before 1950.
