January 28, 2022
As every wide-eyed future social scientist does, I read “Why Nations Fail” - the examples of the failures often looked to Sub-Saharan African countries. This makes sense. Although African populations are exponential, other tellers of growth point to Africa being a region where stagnation and even regression is present.
Acemoglu - an absolute legend is one of the most prominent supporters of democracy for growth. The opinion he holds isn’t held alone either. Schumpeter coined “creative destruction” as a product of incentive landscapes that facilitate competition. But, something felt wrong, like I wasn’t getting the full picture. In rekindling my appreciation for geography, I have reexplored environmental determinism. Looking at Wikipedia on the subject, and trying to get a baseline understanding of the field, I was intrigued when every header was followed by some mention of Africa. Assuming environmental determinism is even a thing - is Africa one of the biggest beneficiaries, if we can even call it that?
What are the nuances in Africa’s environmental geography making the continent what it is today? How does the concept of “environmental determinism” even hold true when your dealing with large swaths of land, people who depending on the nation are almost completely ethnically different? Even accounting for ethnicity and culture being menial factors, what about the fact that the sheer magnitude of the continent leads to a diversity in swaths of land - supposedly impacting behaviour in a variety of ways.
Environmental determinism shapes the models that we use to view the African continent. Beyond viewing the countries that reside within it as victims of colonialism and natural resource exploitation as proponents of generally poor governance. Environmental determinism suggests that development is hindered by its climate and geology.
But, as we delve deeper into the complexities of the African continent, it becomes clear that environmental determinism is likely not a good model to understand the issues faced by these countries. The theory oversimplifies the reality of human behavior and development, and fails to take into account the many factors that contribute to a country’s success or failure.
For example, it ignores the impact of colonialism, which has had a profound effect on the political and economic systems of many African countries. It also neglects the role of economic policies and institutions, which can play a significant role in promoting or hindering economic growth. Additionally, it does not account for the role of cultural and societal factors, which can have a profound impact on the way people interact with their environment.
Another problem with environmental determinism is that it tends to view Africa as a monolithic entity, ignoring the diversity of cultures, languages, and ethnic groups that make up the continent. The diversity of the continent is one of its strengths, but environmental determinism would have us believe that it is a weakness.
Ultimately, environmental determinism is a flawed model that fails to capture the complexity and diversity of the African continent. To truly understand the issues faced by these countries, we must take a more holistic approach that considers all of the factors that contribute to their success or failure. This includes looking at issues such as colonialism, economic policies and institutions, cultural and societal factors, and the diversity of the continent itself.