title: Pre-colonial culture, post-colonial economic success? The Tswana and the African economic miracle.
abstract: Cultural explanations of economic phenomena have recently enjoyed a renaissance among economists. This article provides further evidence for the salience of culture through an in-depth case study of one of the fastest-growing economies in the world during the last 50 years-Botswana. The unique culture that developed among the Tswana before and during the early days of colonialism, which shared many features with those of western nation-states, appears to have contributed significantly to the factors widely seen as determinants of Botswana's post-colonial economic success: state legitimacy, good governance and democracy, commercial traditions, well-established property rights, and inter-ethnic unity. Neighbouring Southern African cultures typically did not exhibit these traits.
authors.affiliation: UC Berkeley.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hjort
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001902:Botswana / Q000208:ethnology; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D011634:Public Health / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011640:Public Policy / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011822:Race Relations / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D012922:Social Change / Q000266:history; D012924:Social Conditions / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012945:Social Values / Q000208:ethnology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors