An African Diamond in the Rough

Abstract

Botswana has received much attention for the outstanding way it has managed its diamond resources while achieving economic growth and political maturity. In this chapter Hillbom and Bolt briefly present Botswana’s success story while also identifying two main challenges for future inclusive sustainable economic development—the lack of alternative high-productive sectors and high levels of inequality. The authors commit to providing a long-term, comprehensive examination of Botswana’s economic history from 1850 onwards, tracing the roots of both the growth miracle and the development challenges. They describe their three cross-cutting analytical approaches—the decompressing of history, the interplay between geographic preconditions and institutional setup, and the role of the state—and how they contribute to the analysis. Finally, they present the structure of the book.