Conversations with Tyler

Joe Studwell on Africa, Asia, and What Development Actually Requires

2026-02-18 · 12:30 UTC ·Mercatus Center at George Mason University ·1 min read

Brief

Joe Studwell and Tyler Cowen use Studwell’s new Africa-focused work to test what actually drives development: agricultural productivity, state capacity, industrial policy, and institutional durability. The discussion ranges from African growth prospects and special economic zones to why some Asian economies industrialized successfully while India, Brazil, and Thailand fell short, with Cowen probing where Studwell’s optimism is strongest and where it may be overstated.

Why it matters

Joe Studwell argues in his 2026 book How Africa Works that Africa’s development prospects depend on more than population density; Tyler Cowen presses him on which specific countries are positioned for stable growth and whether the continent can build a durable manufacturing base.

Key details

  • Studwell contrasts decaying state-led infrastructure projects with more resilient farmer-led irrigation, suggesting that bottom-up agricultural investment may outperform top-down public works in parts of Africa.
  • The conversation also revisits Studwell’s industrial-policy framework from How Asia Works, comparing East Asia’s success with India and Brazil’s weaker outcomes, and extending the discussion to Thailand’s stagnation plus depopulation pressures in Japan and South Korea.
Source evidence

title: Joe Studwell on Africa, Asia, and What Development Actually Requires
author: Mercatus Center at George Mason University
contenttype: podcast
publication: Conversations with Tyler
published: 2026-02-18T12:30:00+00:00
sourceurl: https://cowenconvos.libsyn.com/joe-studwell-on-africa-asia-and-what-development-actually-requires

word_count: 242

When Tyler called Joe Studwell's How Asia Works "perhaps my favorite economics book of the year" back in 2013, he wasn't alone: it became one of the most influential treatments of industrial policy ever written. Now Studwell has turned his attention to Africa with How Africa Works . Tyler calls it excellent, extremely well-researched, and essential reading, but does Studwell's optimism about the continent hold up under scrutiny? Tyler and Joe explore whether population density actually solves development, which African countries are likely to achieve stable growth, whether Africa has a manufacturing future, why state infrastructure projects decay while farmer-led irrigation thrives, what progress looks like in education and public health, whether charter cities or special economic zones can work, and how permanent Africa's colonial borders really are. After testing Joe's optimism about Africa, Tyler shifts back to Asia: what Japan and South Korea will do about depopulation, why industrial policy worked in East Asia but failed in India and Brazil, what went wrong in Thailand, and what Joe will tackle next. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full vi deo on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel. Recorded January 23rd, 2026 . Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here . Image Credit: Nick J.B. Moore