How Africa Works - by Joe Studwell (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Challenges outdated narratives and makes a compelling case for the continent's economic potential."--Bill Gates

The acclaimed author of How Asia Works brings his "pithy, well-written and intellectually vigorous" (Financial Times) reporting to Africa, revealing essential, promising lessons about the engines of economic growth across the continent

The culmination of twenty years spent studying Asian economics, Joe Studwell's celebrated How Asia Works revealed the key policies behind the meteoric growth of the "Asian tigers." The question he kept hearing from those inspired by his clear-eyed understanding of global development: what about Africa? He was finally convinced to investigate further when the inquiries began coming from Africans themselves. A decade of research, travel and on-the-ground reporting began.

Studwell expected that Africa's challenging geography and its crippling legacies of colonialism would necessitate a unique developmental recipe. Yet to his astonishment, the African countries that succeeded did so by embracing the very same strategies their Asian counterparts had--strategies that are far different from those foisted on Africa by the international community. He explores these winning policies via four countries that have seen exceptional economic growth (Botswana, Mauritius, Ethiopia and Rwanda) and that demonstrate both the promise and the particular challenge of the African context. Highlighting the achievements of local leaders, Studwell argues that prosperity is well within reach and that the rapidly rising population--seen as alarming by so many--will be foundational to Africa's flourishing. How Africa Works is essential, optimistic reading for anyone looking to understand the next chapter of global development.

Review Quotes

Praise for How Africa Works:

"Joe Studwell underscores the critical role of agriculture in development and highlights how African nations have leveraged smart policies to drive sustainable growth. How Africa Works challenges outdated narratives and makes a compelling case for the continent's economic potential."--Bill Gates

"Timely, highly readable and provocative. This insightful volume does something unusual: it constructs a thesis of Africa's developmental backdrop that neither relies on familiar ideological paradigms nor fixates on traditional bogeymen like corruption and civil conflict. It will doubtless inspire debate, which is by itself an important achievement."--Vice President Kashim Shettima of Nigeria

"Joe Studwell's How Asia Works is one of the most important and most cited works on Asian economic development. How Africa Works will achieve a comparable status for Africa. It is a book everyone should read, and it stands a good chance of being the most important book of 2026."--Tyler Cowen, George Mason University and co-author of the Marginal Revolution blog

"How Africa Works offers a remarkable exploration of a continent rich in natural resources and human potential. It vividly demonstrates that with astute policies and a supportive government, the aspiration for rapid and sustainable economic growth is not a far-fetched dream but an achievable reality. This book is an essential read for policymakers, economists, and anyone with a vested interest in the economic transformation of Africa and the wider developing world."--Justin Yifu Lin, Peking University and former Chief Economist, World Bank

"As Africa's cities are flooded by young job seekers, many observers worry that unemployment and social strife will be the result. Joe Studwell presents a different, optimistic case. Informed by the East Asian experience as well as Africa's own turbulent and violent history, his account weaves a more hopeful narrative built on recent improvements in governance, education, and manufacturing potential."--Dani Rodrik, Harvard University and author of Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World

Praise for How Asia Works:

"Pithy, well-written and intellectually vigorous . . . Studwell's thesis is bold, his arguments persuasive, and his style pugnacious. It adds up to a highly readable and important book."--Financial Times

"I found the book to be quite compelling. . . . Studwell's book does a better job than anything else I've read of articulating the key role of agriculture in development. . . . A good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed."--Bill Gates, "Top 5 Books of the Year"

"A landmark work."--Asia Times (Bangkok)

"Believe it or not, this is actually my favorite pop economics book of all time."--Noah Smith, author of Noahpinion

"Provocative. . . . How Asia Works is a striking and enlightening book . . . A lively mix of scholarship, reporting and polemic."--The Economist

"A solid blend of the descriptive and the prescriptive, with plenty of lessons that will be of interest to Asia hands, investors and policymakers."--Kirkus Reviews

"The best story of the East Asian economic miracle."--Dan Wang, author of Breakneck

"Perhaps my favorite economics book of the year. Quite simply, it is the best single treatment on what in Asian industrial policy worked or did not work, full of both analysis and specific detail, and covering southeast Asia in addition to the Asian tiger 'winners.' . . . Definitely recommended, you will learn lots from it, and it will upset people of virtually all ideologies."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

About the Author

Joe Studwell is Senior Visiting Fellow at the UK's Overseas Development Institute (ODI). A freelance journalist for over twenty years, he has a PhD from University of Cambridge and is the author of The China Dream, Asian Godfathers and How Asia Works. He lives in Cambridge.