The Enduring Relevance of the Developmental State Paradigm Across Space and Time: Lessons for Africa on Structural Transformation and Agriculture in Oil-Rich Contexts

Abstract

Emerging economies have recently faced commodity price declines that reinforce the instability of natural resources as a basis for socio-economic transformation. This has re-energised arguments for industrialisation as necessary for such transitions. Drawing upon classical development economics theory, this paper offers a deployment of an enhanced developmental state paradigm (DSP) that highlights the roles of agriculture and mineral resources in the pursuit of industrial progress. This application of the DSP has its basis in narratives on Asian developmental states with focus on mineralresource endowment. Employed with reference to Africa's key emerging economy and net petroleum exporter, Nigeria, the DSP shows how the state, influenced by significant milieus, has enabled linkages between oil and agriculture that can drive industrial transformation. The paper finds that linkages between oil and agriculture are wellestablished, however economic, social and political influences on the state have engendered agriculture's limited onward contribution to structural change.

Analysis of the Dynamics of Structural Processes in the Context of Ensuring Sustainable Development

“…The patterns between economic growth and structural changes in the economy have been studied by Yadav & Joseph, (2018). The work of Ikpe (2018) is also devoted to the study of structural changes in the economy. In his work he pays considerable attention to the study of the essence of transformation processes and assessment of the specific structure of the economy.…”

Nigerian Industrialisation Challenges and Dearth of Galvanization Amidst the United Nations Industrial Development Support

“…Consequently, Agba & Odu (2012) recorded the central position of industrialisation to national economic development as a pivotal force that led to the creation of a number of policies targeted at making Nigeria an industrialised nation. Hence, the first industrial approach in Nigeria was aimed at reducing over-dependence on foreign goods and save foreign exchange through the encouragement of manufacturing of goods that were previously imported (Williams, 1965;Famade, 2009in Agba & Odu, 2012Mgbemene, Nnaji, & Nwozor, 2016;Ikpe, 2017). This effort by the federal government of Nigeria led to the promulgation of an Indigenization Decree in 1972 -the fore-runner of Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Decrees, that blocked foreigners from investing in certain enterprises and reserved involvement in specified trades to Nigerians.…”

Developmental Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Postindependence Nigeria: Lessons From Asian Developmental States

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“…In the DSP, interdependencies between the state and market have been at the helm of shifts towards industrial development (Ikpe, 2018). The contested idea of (embedded) state autonomy, that is mitigated by its embeddedness in society, has been key to understanding the interactions between the state and other entities (Evans, 1995).…”