International Political Economy

In this chapter, I examine conceptualizations of what Africa is in the field of International Political Economy: that is, the study of the interplay of economics and politics in the world arena. Understandably, African political economies are examined in respect to their material wealth and the nature of institutions to harness that wealth. Thus, the major research question investigated in the chapter is this: What conceptualizations have been offered about Africa in the academic discipline of International Political Economy? The obvious answer to this question is that many conceptualizations have been offered in terms of what Africa is in the field of International Political Economy. In addition, these conceptualizations span the positive to the negative, with the latter being more dominant. It needs to be noted from the onset that it is beyond the scope of this chapter to deal with all of these conceptualizations. Therefore, for succinctness, the following three major conceptualizations are analyzed in this chapter: (1) Africa as a poor economy, (2) Africa as a continent dependent on foreign aid, and (3) Africa as aspiring for greater global agency.