Super valuable piece, thank you. I had been looking for a primer on Mokyr's work and identifying his main critics, and you've done a good job of signposting both of these. In addition, I've also come across critics who reference the role of industrial policy in Eastern economic growth as counter to Mokyr's positions. As I engage with all the commentary and literature, it's evident that there isn't a one route, one size fits all approach to prosperity. This leads me to believe that Africa's path, if it ever emerges, may be a relatively novel approach that combines several historical features and paths to create something uniquely African. I guess this is an exciting prospect for many of us African's who are actively working on innovation and building paths to prosperity.
Admirable and important intellectual yeoman’s work as usual. Thanks! The big challenge remains: understanding the specifics of African development: Why wasn’t the early tech brilliance on display at Nok in Kaduna (as early as1500 BCE) lead to further tech advances and a broad/deep socio-cultural transformation? Same applies to the incomparable craftsmanship of Ife (1000 CE) and Benin Bronzes. Was elite conspicuous consumption a la Mansa Musa responsible? Or political repression? Or the Moroccan invasion of 1591? African cultural history must cease to be solely artefacts admired in museums and addressed in its living reality.
We must move past the standard trope of instancing these as proof of early African creativity--the usual museum trope. What crucial historical questions do they pose?
What a fine debate! I loved reading Gregory Clark and I'm 100% convinced of the biological path. The other thing is once something emerges in one culture, other culture proceeds to copy it. This is the deterministic and non-deterministic path that I could think of.
See, perhaps only Nigeria could have produced afrobeat because of its unique mix of talent, political landscape, and artistic expression. By this, I mean Fela (a la Gregory Clark). And then other local producers copied the beats and birthed afrobeats (culture, a la Joel Mokyr). A Chinese does not need the biology or the environment to make an afrobeats song now. He just has to respond to the incentives Robert Allen is talking about. Same as those local producers that created the afrobeats blend. They were culturally primed (supply) and also responding to the demand which made a while lotta sense. At some point everything feeds off each other. But that's the beauty of scientific enquiry: unpacking things that feeds off each other.
So I'll stick with Gregory Clark until further notice just because evolution is counter-intuitive and we sorta underestimate that something so simple could explain a whole lotta complex things. Or for the fear of determinism. Yes, evolution is deterministic but once something is seeded, others can copy it too irrespective of the culture it emerged from. Yes, the rate of copying will differ from place to place depending on cultural affinity, but the same evolution gave us the copy and paste brain.
Now, what we haven't done yet to lock in these gains in afrobeats is to institutionalise it a la Acemoglu and Robinson. I don't want to hear cultural appropriation when the Chinese are filling the demand for afrobeats in Asia o. That thing works only in the West.
Interesting essay… if we compare it to modern times where incentives are such that employers are pushing for ai and replacing workers… what happens then?
Super valuable piece, thank you. I had been looking for a primer on Mokyr's work and identifying his main critics, and you've done a good job of signposting both of these. In addition, I've also come across critics who reference the role of industrial policy in Eastern economic growth as counter to Mokyr's positions. As I engage with all the commentary and literature, it's evident that there isn't a one route, one size fits all approach to prosperity. This leads me to believe that Africa's path, if it ever emerges, may be a relatively novel approach that combines several historical features and paths to create something uniquely African. I guess this is an exciting prospect for many of us African's who are actively working on innovation and building paths to prosperity.
Admirable and important intellectual yeoman’s work as usual. Thanks! The big challenge remains: understanding the specifics of African development: Why wasn’t the early tech brilliance on display at Nok in Kaduna (as early as1500 BCE) lead to further tech advances and a broad/deep socio-cultural transformation? Same applies to the incomparable craftsmanship of Ife (1000 CE) and Benin Bronzes. Was elite conspicuous consumption a la Mansa Musa responsible? Or political repression? Or the Moroccan invasion of 1591? African cultural history must cease to be solely artefacts admired in museums and addressed in its living reality.
Thanks Prof. These are all important questions!
We must move past the standard trope of instancing these as proof of early African creativity--the usual museum trope. What crucial historical questions do they pose?
What a fine debate! I loved reading Gregory Clark and I'm 100% convinced of the biological path. The other thing is once something emerges in one culture, other culture proceeds to copy it. This is the deterministic and non-deterministic path that I could think of.
See, perhaps only Nigeria could have produced afrobeat because of its unique mix of talent, political landscape, and artistic expression. By this, I mean Fela (a la Gregory Clark). And then other local producers copied the beats and birthed afrobeats (culture, a la Joel Mokyr). A Chinese does not need the biology or the environment to make an afrobeats song now. He just has to respond to the incentives Robert Allen is talking about. Same as those local producers that created the afrobeats blend. They were culturally primed (supply) and also responding to the demand which made a while lotta sense. At some point everything feeds off each other. But that's the beauty of scientific enquiry: unpacking things that feeds off each other.
So I'll stick with Gregory Clark until further notice just because evolution is counter-intuitive and we sorta underestimate that something so simple could explain a whole lotta complex things. Or for the fear of determinism. Yes, evolution is deterministic but once something is seeded, others can copy it too irrespective of the culture it emerged from. Yes, the rate of copying will differ from place to place depending on cultural affinity, but the same evolution gave us the copy and paste brain.
Now, what we haven't done yet to lock in these gains in afrobeats is to institutionalise it a la Acemoglu and Robinson. I don't want to hear cultural appropriation when the Chinese are filling the demand for afrobeats in Asia o. That thing works only in the West.
Interesting essay… if we compare it to modern times where incentives are such that employers are pushing for ai and replacing workers… what happens then?