The Politics of Economic Policy-Making in Zimbabwe

In: The journal of modern African studies: a quarterly survey of politics, economics & related topics in contemporary Africa, Band 35, Heft 4, S. 575-602

Abstract

There are two remarkable features of post-independence


economic policy-making in Zimbabwe: the very limited nature of the changes


made by the new government in 1980, and the complete reversal of

policy announced in 1990. It was surprising that a more radical

transformation had not been introduced soon after independence,

since this had been achieved by a civil war prompted not only by

the denial of even basic rights to the majority of the population, but


also by an extremely inequitable distribution of economic resources.

The volte-face in 1990 was also unexpected, because it required a

repudiation of governmental rhetoric at a time when the economy was

by no means in a state of crisis, even though under stress. This article


attempts to understand these policy shifts.