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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20190130T111843Z
DTSTART:20190306T170000Z
DTEND:20190306T183000Z
SUMMARY:GDI Lecture Series:  Property\, institutions\, and social stratif
 ication in Africa with Franklin Obeng-Odoom
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DESCRIPTION:The Global Development Institute is pleased to host Associate
  Professor Franklin Obeng-Odoom as part of the GDI Lecture Series\, talk
 ing about: Property\, institutions\, and social stratification in Africa
 \n\nWhile it is intrinsically important to explain and\, ultimately\, tr
 y to address social stratification in Africa\, these aspirations have no
 t yet been satisfactorily executed. Human capital explanations can be en
 ticing\, especially when they appear to explain the meteoric rise of the
  Asian Tigers in terms of their so-called cultures of hard work. Attempt
 ing to explain Africa’s unequal position in the world system this way is
  common\, as is conceptualising the problem in terms of the absence of p
 hysical capital and the presence\, or dominance\, of natural resources. 
 In turn\, it is quite usual to posit the need to reduce the transaction 
 costs of transnational corporations\, which presumably work to resolve t
 he challenges of development in Africa. In practice\, however\, neither 
 African culture\, poor human capital\, inadequate physical capital\, nor
  the natural resource curse explains Africa’s underdevelopment. None of 
 these can sufficiently explain the startling economic inequalities in Af
 rica between various social groups\, nor those between Africa and the re
 st of the world. In this regard\, the idea that certain cultures of land
  either hinder\, or would enable ‘Africa’s catch up’\, are also mistaken
 . Although the reverse case – that African cultures are pristine – is so
 metimes used to counter this central thesis\, it is similarly unconvinci
 ng. The spectre of Manicheanism\, that is\, expressing the African condi
 tion according to a dichotomy of either cultural pessimism or cultural t
 riumphalism\, is limiting.\n\nObeng-Odoom has made various contributions
  to political economy. He is the author of five books\, including Oiling
  the Urban Economy\; The Myth of Privatizing Nature\; Property\, Institu
 tions\, and Social Stratification\; and Reconstructing Urban Economics\,
  which is listed in the top five entries for the Egon-Matzner-Award for 
 Socio-Economics in 2017. He guest-edited the special issue of the Journa
 l of Australian Political Economy on 'Global Economic Inequalities and D
 evelopment'\, a controversial analysis of which forced the International
  Monetary Fund to issue an official statement in defence of its policies
 . Obeng-Odoom is Associate Editor of the Forum for Social Economics\, Ed
 itor of African Review of Economics and Finance\, and Series Editor of E
 dinburgh Studies in Urban Political Economy.\n\nThe Global Development L
 ecture Series brings experts involved in global development to The Unive
 rsity of Manchester. It aims to facilitate dialogue and discussion\, pro
 viding a space for leading development thinkers to share their latest re
 search and ideas. Lectures are followed by an audience Q&A.\n\nThis even
 t is open to members of the public and information on the accessibility 
 of the venue is detailed at this link: https://www.accessable.co.uk/venu
 es/roscoe_th-b\n
STATUS:TENTATIVE
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
LOCATION:Theatre B\, Roscoe Building\, Manchester
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