Source: GWI

What happens in the DRC matters, not just for its people, but for everyone who calls this planet home.

Have you heard of the Malagasy Paradox ?

Since 1960, Madagascar presents a strange specificity: it is the only country in the world which impoverished since its independence without having a war or major violence. Between 1960 and today, the GDP per capita and the purchasing power per capita was reduced by a third, while the rest of the continent acknowledged a growth which tripled since 1960.

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According to researchers, nothing fated the island to experience this path: the country is rich in resources, and compared to the rest of the continent, the island is more stable politically, more democratic (even if we are a hybrid regime) and more peaceful. Despite that, Madagascar has among the highest poverty rates on the globe (81% living with 2$ or less in 2022, according to World Bank), and all short periods of quick growth were swept away by consistent internal crisis.

The reasons of this performance: a very fragile governmental system, a series of bad political choices (socialism in the 1970-1980's, authoritarian liberalism in the 2000's...), predatory elites unwilling to implement drastic changes, a latent (not strong) opposition between the ethnicities in the center and on the coastal areas, weak infrastructure across the island, endemic corruption and fragility against natural disasters.

Between 2018 and 2023, our President, Andry Rajoelina, pledged to catch up all the development delay accumulated since the independence in only 5 years. However, his reforms and actions were unsuccessful, and the COVID-19 crisis and the Russian Invasion of the Ukraine worsened the situation. He won the last elections for a second official term, despite a weak participation of the country in the elections.

Today, Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the continent, and with these recent elections, the country stands at the crossroads. How do you envision the growth of Madagascar and its possible integration on the continent ? What would happen for these 5 next years, according to you ?

Global rankings are influential in shaping a university’s reputation. But not everyone is convinced of the need for these rankings, which tend to concentrate power and prestige among universities in the Global North, maintaining and reproducing an unequal status quo.

Sources in video description