Botswana: growth sans development

Few countries in the world, over a period of more than three decades, recorded an uninterrupted higher growth rate than Botswana. Whilst many neighbouring countries struggled with the after-effects of colonial administration, Botswana's post-independence political economy flourished. However, this success is not translating to other related improvements that economic development is thought to provide.

This paper examines the key processes that accounted for the successful performance of the economy. Additionally, it explores the major social and economic challenges that are obstacles to development in Botswana.

Some interesting points include:

• Botswana's management of its diamond resources did reinforce a growth process compared to other resource-rich countries
• unlike other countries that have moved away from pluralism to the centralisation of power in a single party, Botswana's multiparty democracy accounts for the absence of corruption and other stabilising effects
• the Botswanan case shows that growth alone cannot assure a development process unless it is mediated by appropriate social forces to assure its wide distribution
• the way in which dependence is built into the structure of production and distribution makes the economy increasingly subordinated to the choices of South Africa.