Journal of Asian and African Studies

This article investigates the relationship between AIDS and economic growth for 17 African countries for the period 1990 to 1996. Previous studies have found mixed results, which may have been due to the adoption of inappropriate models (simulation and cross-country models). The pitfalls of such models can lead to spurious results. Our results, which are based on pooled time series, show a significantly negative relationship between AIDS and growth. This article’s unique contribution, however, is the use of the Granger-causality test procedure to examine the link between AIDS and growth in Africa. No previous study can be found that has conducted such examination. The results support the existence of bi-directional causal relationship between AIDS and growth in Africa for the period studied.

Conflict management and resolution strategies often do not pay enough attention to traditional methods emanating from local cultural traditions. Many conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa are not responsive to contemporary approaches born in the West and implemented in conflict zones across the continent. In this article I specifically focus on the myths of the Yorùbá ethnic group in Nigeria as a way to demonstrate how myths from a given society can be helpful in crafting local solutions to local conflicts. After providing a brief overview of the relationship between myth and conflict, I will summarize and analyze five Yorùbá myths that provide cultural context to the Yorùbá experience, and then conclude with some lessons that can be applied to the conflict resolution process in general.

This article analyzes the rural brickmaking industry in Vietnam. The article is based on the results of survey data collected from brick factory owners in 2000 and 2001 and uses this data to develop a model factory based on traditional brickmaking technology. It describes the labor processes associated with this technology, generates income estimates for the different categories of brickmaking jobs, and analyzes the importance of these incomes in the context of overall living standards and poverty levels in Vietnam. The article also looks at the continued ties of brick factory workers to the rural agricultural sector of the economy. It makes the argument that, in many important respects, the brickmaking industry is an ideal rural industry for the largely agricultural population of Vietnam: it is highly labor intensive, and its production schedule and labor processes fit well with the seasonal demands of the agricultural sector. However, because of environmental concerns and technological advances in both agriculture and industry, traditional brickmaking in Vietnam is also confronted with real threats to its survival over the next 10 years. The article looks at some of the potential consequences of the loss of this type of rural industry in terms of household income levels and living standards.