Underdevelopment, Transition and Reconstruction in SSA
Project / Program Summary

1. Objectives
   Within the Africa region there is a one group of countries, which presents especially difficult challenges for the development community. This group consists of Angola (which is hopefully now moving out of conflict), Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Mozambique (which are now reconstructing from conflict), Guinea-Bissau in which reconstruction must begin, and Somalia which must eventually be rebuilt.
   These six countries share a common history of state socialism which, in varying ways, contributed to their political turmoil. With the exception of Somalia, all these countries are in varying degrees of economic and political transition. They must create new policy frameworks to achieve broad-based development and matching institutions. In the case of Eritrea a new nation is being created with all the new economic institutions (such as a currency) that this entails. These experiences yield important lessons for the reconstruction of Somalia.
   All of these countries are underdeveloped, they all face problems of transition, and their reconstructions an urgent issue. The UTR group presents numerous difficulties for the development community. State capacity is weak or barely exists, civil society has been fractured by conflict, human development is limited, and poverty is deep.
   The project addresses three key questions through theme and country papers: how can communities be helped to reconstruct, in particular how can their human and social capital be rebuilt? How can a new private sector be built and what form will it take? How can a development state (defined as a state capable of designing and implementing broad based development) be constructed, and what are the appropriate macro-economic and institutional frameworks for this?
   The project intends to develop the talent of young researchers from UTR countries themselves. They are either single authors, or will co-author papers with more established researchers in the field. A review group will be constituted to guide the authors.
2. Activities / contents Expected Outputs
   • a volume of the edited research papers published by a commercial publisher with the capacity to disseminate within Africa
   • WIDER working papers. Research for Action series
   • selected papers will be published in internationally respected journals, possibly through a special issue of a journal such as World Development
   • articles in international media (a first article "Basic Ways to Make a Real Difference in Africa", was published in the International Herald Tribune in April), and WIDER Angle.
     Timetable

   January - April 1998	Project preparation & identification of external research network
   May 16, 1998	Project planning meeting in Helsinki
   August 1998	Contracts to external research network
   August 98 - April 99	Preparation of thematic papers & country studies
   May 1999	Project meeting & presentation of papers
   May 1999 - July 1999	Peer review & revision of papers
   August 1999	Delivery of final edited papers to UNU / WIDER editor
   Sept. - Oct. 1999	Editing of papers
   November 1999	Policy conference
   December 1999	Delivery of papers to publisher

3. Features in line with the Agenda for Action
   First in line with point 3.2 of the Action Plan (Conflict prevention and post conflict development) of the TICAD II Agenda for Action.

Project Director:
Mr. Tony Addison
Research Fellow
UNU / WIDER