African Development and the Significance of Sacrificial Generations

Economic development has required three processes: state consolidation, capitalist transition, and structural transformation. State consolidation is the building of a state bureaucracy, a stable political settlement, tax capacity, and state monopoly over the legitimate use of force. Capitalist transition refers to a shift away from pre-capitalist to capitalist property rights and relations over land, labour, capital and production. Finally, structural transformation encapsulates the shift in economic resources, activity, and labour from low-productivity sectors (such as traditional agriculture) to higher productivity ones (such as manufacturing), which historically and theoretically entails industrial development. These processes also require substantial social costs—what I have termed ‘sacrificial generations’. This refers to a group of people who at a point in time experience a decline in quality of life (or even death), changing economic, political or social conditions, which are, in turn, disproportionately enjoyed by another group of people at a later period in time.

Historically and globally, economic development has required substantial sacrifices, however, these sacrifices are often not taken into account when considering Africa’s present state. Considering sacrificial generations, along the processes of African development, can enable greater appreciation of past African generations and engender more realistic solutions for achieving progress today.