Africa Policy Journal
The Africa Policy Journal promoted dialogue about African policy and current affairs in the areas of business, culture, design, education, governance, health, and law. The journal was founded at Harvard Kennedy School in 2006 but later expanded to all schools at Harvard University.
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The Hierarchy of Poor: The Tension Between Favoring Smallholder Farmers or Domestic Consumers in Ethiopian Agricultural Development
02.28.13
Overview: illustrating the challenge in supporting producers and consumers through agricultural policies A pressing challenge facing Ethiopia today is one that has long been a dilemma facing many African governments. This paper discusses the challenge of supporting smallholder farmers while ensuring benefits for consumers. Attaining a balance often involves a tradeoff when policy and economic […]
Equity and Core Concepts of Human Rights in Namibian Health Policies
02.28.13
Abstract Delivering health services to vulnerable populations is a significant challenge in many countries. Groups vulnerable to social, economic, and environmental challenges may not be considered or may be impacted adversely by the health policies that guide such services.We report on the application of EquiFrame, a novel policy analysis framework, to ten Namibian health policies, […]
The Red Dust of Africa: A Personal Journey
02.28.13
In 1961, I received an invitation from Sargent Shriver to join the newly created Peace Corps. I was a 1959 alumna of the Experiment in International Living that had been directed by Shriver. My husband and I applied and on May 22nd of that year received a congratulatory letter signed by John F. Kennedy. By […]
Riding the African Lions
11.18.12
A man in a freshly pressed Calvin Klein suit, sporting Aviator sunglasses, stands on the corner of a busy street cradling his laptop case and yelling over the din into his Blackberry. Moments later he gets into his new Honda and races away. This could be an observation made on the streets of New York […]
Mandela – Genius of Restraint
11.18.12
What makes Nelson Mandela a remarkable man? The African National Congress (“ANC”), which ledthe resistance movement against apartheid, is the presentruling party in South Africa. After joining the ANC in 1942, Nelson Mandela initially followed a path of non-violent resistance to end apartheid in South Africa. By 1961, with this approach proving unsuccessful, Mandela co-founded […]
A Self-Help Model to Empower Youth: A Pilot Project
09.19.12
Abstract This report presents the results of the pilot project, A Self-Help Model to Empower Youth, conducted by Dr. Helaine Daniels while on an eleven-month assignment in the Republic of Djibouti with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH). Dr. Daniels conducted the nine-week project with unemployed, […]
Where is Libya’s Future Government Elite?
09.19.12
Real regime change in Libya means new leaders and new technocrats. The international community must help train them. In November 2011, Dr. Mahmoud Jibril, former Interim Prime Minister and chair of Libya’s National Transitional Council, opened the Harvard Arab Weekend conference on a pessimistic note: “for 42 years, Qaddafi managed to minimize the government.” Talking […]
Boosting Innovation in Low-Income Communities
09.19.12
Abstract: Public policies to boost economic development in low-income countries or communities (LICs) are focused on either outward-oriented strategies (e.g. foreign technology transfer, tax incentives to attract foreign MNEs) or inward-oriented strategies based on expensive R&D expenditures. But such strategies are generally not viable in the context of LICs. This paper proposes an innovation strategy based […]