Benin – A Review of Present Economic and Social Challenges

This publication is part of the Benin Institutional Diagnostic.

This chapter is the second part of the overview of institutional and other constraints on the development of Benin. While the first chapter focused on the geographical, historical, social, and political characteristics shaping the environment in which Benin’s development is set, this chapter looks more closely into the country’s economic performance and social achievements. This macro picture provides in Section 1 a close-up on growth and structural change and on key aspects of internal and external equilibrium. Section 2 focuses on poverty, inequality, educational, and health achievement. Section 3 summarises the main lessons drawn from these first two sections.

Contents

• 1 Benin’s economic development from 1960
  • 1.1 Economic growth (aggregate)
  • 1.2 Growth and structural change
  • 1.3 Specific structural characteristics
  • 1.4 The structure of aggregate spending
  • 1.5 External trade
  • 1.6 Financing of the economy
  • 1.7 Physical infrastructure
• 2 Social indicators
  • 2.1 Poverty incidence and inequality
  • 2.2 Education
  • 2.3 Health
• 3 Binding constraints on Benin’s economic development
• References

Editors:

Romain Houssa and Paul Reding, University of Namur