Publication: Structural Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa
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2020-02
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2020-02-13
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Economic development is typically accompanied by the movement of labor from agriculture to the non-agricultural sector, a pattern commonly referred to as structural transformation. This note aims to better understand the ongoing structural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa. It finds that: (i) the structural transformation is occurring more slowly, and is much less variable across countries, than prevailing estimates suggest; (ii) there is a weak relationship between initial agricultural employment shares and the pace of transformation, suggesting little convergence across regions; and (iii) movement out of agricultural employment is clearly but only modestly correlated with poverty reduction.
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“Deudibe, Gildas; Merfeld, Joshua; Ndoutamou, Justin; Newhouse, David. 2020. Structural Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty and Equity Notes;No. 19. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33327 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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