Final answer:
Economics has tended to overlook the historical and structural complications of African nations, such as the effects of colonial exploitation, disrupted political institutions, and artificially created borders that ignore ethnic complexities. This is why, according to Jerven, economics fails to account accurately for the current African economic status.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Jerven, economics massively fails to account for African economic status because traditional economic models and assumptions do not take into account the continent's unique historical context and current conditions. The dire economic straits of many African nations can be linked to a variety of factors grounded in their historical experiences, especially under colonialism.
Centuries of struggle over land ownership have led to degradation and underutilization of arable land, and inadequate infrastructure for irrigation in regions with scarce rainfall. Colonial exploitation stripped many African countries of their natural resources, leaving them with diminished agricultural and mineral wealth. Cultural factors, including political unrest, have repeatedly interfered with economic development.
European colonial policies prevented the emergence of a wealthy capitalist class, which played a crucial role in the development of nation-states in Europe. The result was a two-tiered system: a militant authoritarian state apparatus imposed upon local African societies, often disrupting traditional political institutions and creating obstacles to wealth creation and economic stability after independence. In the post-colonial era, despite vast deposits of minerals, the lack of strong political and economic institutions has contributed to ongoing instability and labeled many as "failed states." The divisions and borders imposed by the colonial rulers during the Berlin Conference have continued to foment internal conflicts, as the boundaries were often drawn without regard for the ethnic and social complexities of the region.
Overall, imperial legacies, the artificial creation of states, and internal strife have contributed to the failure of conventional economic metrics to fully capture or remedy the various challenges facing African countries. This historical and structural context is often missing from standard economic analyses, which tend to prioritize data and models that do not align with the realities on the ground in Africa.