Banking in Africa: The Impact of Financial Sector Reform Since Independence [Paperback]

et al Martin Brownbridge (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0865436932 | ISBN-13: 978-0865436930 | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

This book provides a review of the evolution of the post-independence banking system in Africa. There is a strong focus on the problems of restructuring of banking institutions and the management of the bad and non-performing assets of public sector institutions. Three themes are explored: The first is that government interventions in the financial sector, in the post-independence period, were at best largely ineffective as a tool of development and at worst had damaging consequences for the banks, and for the whole economy The second theme is that financial liberalization requires an understanding of the first set of financial reforms implemented in post-independence Africa. The third theme is that financial liberalization is made even more difficult in most African countries because it is carried out in response to severe economic crisis and therefor in conditions of acute macroeconomic instability. This book is ideally suited for development economics courses as it provides revealing case studies of key countries which complement more theoretical books on money and banking in developing countries Martin Brownbridge is working with UNCTAD on issues concerning the Least Developed Countries. Charles Harvey is a Professorial Fellow of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex; he is currently on secondment to the Botswana Institute of Development Policy Analysis. Contents: Introduction: financial liberalization in difficult circumstances - Banking policy in Botswana: orthodoc but untypical - Banking reform in Ethiopia - The impact of financial sector policies in Ghana - Government policies and the development of banking in Kenya - The impact of public policy on the banking system in Nigeria - Financial repression and financial reform in Uganda - Financial policies and the banking system in Zambia - The limited impact of financial sector reforms in Zimbabwe - Banking development and financial sector reforms in Tanzania, Malawi and the Gambia - Conclusions - Bibliography - Index

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a valuable addition to the library of work demonstrating the importance of attention to detail in financial sector reform. - J. Clark Leith ...a useful addition to the scant literature on reforms in Anglophone Africa. - Tito Mboweni, Governor, South African Reserve Bank in SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

This book provides a review of the evolution of the post-independence banking system in Africa. There is a strong focus on the problems of restructuring of banking institutions and the management of the bad and non-performing assets of public sector institutions.

Three themes are explored:

The first is that government interventions in the financial sector, in the post-independence period, were at best largely ineffective as a tool of development and at worst had damaging consequences for the banks, and for the whole economy.

The second theme is that financial liberalization requires an understanding of the first set of financial reforms implemented in post-independence Africa.

The third theme is that financial liberalization is made even more difficult in most African countries because it is carried out in response to severe economic crisis and therefore in conditions of acute macroeconomic instability.

This book is ideally suited for development economics courses as it provides revealing case studies of key countries which complement more theoretical books on money and banking in developing countries.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Africa World Press (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865436932
• ISBN-13: 978-0865436930
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,808,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Comprehensive, June 13, 2007

By 

Tom Sawyer (Washington.D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Banking in Africa: The Impact of Financial Sector Reform Since Independence (Paperback)

This book provides the most comprehensive country-by-country information on the development of the banking sector in Sub-sahara Africa by far.

It is a "MUST HAVE" in any practitioner of development finance's library.