How trade deals explain the behaviour of West African elites

By Michael E Odijie, Research associate, UCL

The political survival of ruling elites is one of the major determining factors behind their trade policy choices. But trade policy choices can determine whether a country’s economy diversifies to reduce dependence on the production of a few goods or services. This phenomenon is most pronounced in countries whose economies are heavily dependent on a few commodity exports.

To understand this phenomenon better, I have looked at the behaviour of ruling elites in West Africa since the early…

Read complete article

~	Indigenous women are most affected by domestic violence but have struggled to be heard. It’s time we listened

~	With Pause, US Joins Other States Stopping Arms Transfers to Israel

~	UN expert raises alarm over unfair treatment of pro-Palestinian student protesters in US

~	Germany: British-Palestinian Doctor Denied Schengen Entry

~	Love is the driving force behind the cries, the marches and the search for our disappeared loved ones

~	A jacket, a coin, a letter − relics of Omaha Beach battle tell the story of D-Day 80 years later

~	Lassa fever case in Paris: what you need to know

~	Mexico’s criminal gangs stir up political violence ahead of election season

~	AI system can predict the structures of life’s molecules with stunning accuracy – helping to solve one of biology’s biggest problems

~	I’ve spent decades overseeing relief operations around the world, and here’s what’s going wrong in Gaza