This paper analyzes the recent transformation of Rwanda’s coffee sector. It begins with a brief discussion of the history of coffee production in Rwanda, then focuses on government efforts since the genocide to break a “low quality/low quantity trap” in the sector.

As a result of a very long history of discriminatory legislation, black South Africans suffered substantial harms at the hands of past governments. Following the political transition in 1994, the new government implemented land reform policies designed, in part, to satisfy calls for social justice. This paper examines these policies in the context of Hayek's arguments about social justice.

In his latest book, Wars, Guns and Votes, Oxford development economist Paul Collier makes the case for the use of military intervention in developing countries. However, Collier’s call for international military interventions raises a number of practical concerns, such as the current unpopularity of international military action and the lack of proof that free and fair elections necessarily lead to better outcomes.

Dambisa Moyo’s new book, Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa, has received a great deal of attention in the last few months. Moyo’s book is a must-read for any person interested in the question of why some countries are rich while others remain stagnant or poor.

In his 1976 work Law, Legislation and Liberty, F.A. Hayek discusses the concept of social justice, pursued by redistributing resources acquired through an unplanned and impersonal market order, to increase the material equality or equality of outcome of the members of that order.  But, how would these prescriptions translate into actual policy making? What kinds of policies would correct past injustice but not work a new injustice?

In mid-July, the G-8 nations announced a $20 billion commitment to help farmers in developing countries increase their food production.1 Although these efforts are intended to increase food supplies and agricultural productivity over the short run, long-term institutional change is needed to help farmers improve output beyond one or two seasons. One major reform that would help farmers across Africa is increased attention to problems of land tenure security.

Government intervention and interference in agricultural markets prevents the growth of commercial agricultural sectors and decreases the ability of African farmers to improve their standards of living through agriculture.  To combat hunger and to encourage economic development, African governments need to embark on reforms that allow farmers to use agriculture to improve their lives.

In his 2005 best-selling book Collapse, Jared Diamond argues that some societies “choose to fail or succeed.”  One of the cases he explores in his book is the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which he calls a modern day Malthusian crisis.  However, the arguments he employs to explain why Rwandan society was unable to peacefully and effectively manage rising population pressures overlook a host of political factors that limited the ability of people to respond to increased competition for land in pre-genocide Rwanda.

In this research summary published by the World Bank, Karol Boudreaux explores the economic success Rwanda has seen by liberalizing their coffee sector.

Fair access to property rights goes way beyond their role as economic assets. Secure and accessible property rights provide a sense of identity, dignity, and belonging to people of very different economic means. They create reliable ties of rights and obligations among community members as well as a system of mutual recognition of rights and responsibilities beyond the local community.

The 2008 International Property Rights Index (IPRI) is an international comparative study that measures the significance of both physical and intellectual property rights and their protection for economic well-being. The current study analyzes data for 115 countries around the globe, representing ninety-six percent of world GDP. Of great importance, the 2008 gauge incorporates data of PR protection from various sources, often directly obtained from expert surveys within the evaluated countries.

The key to successful property reform lies in understanding the de facto environment, including the stakeholders involved, the broad institutional environment, and the customs that apply to property use and transfer.  Each factor calls for a discrete response to promote cooperation. When evolutionary or legislative changes to a property-rights environment reflect broad social consensus about how to allocate resources, these changes are more likely to be respected and enforced.

This article is a chapter in the book Realizing Property Rights, edited by Hernando de Soto and Francis Cheneval. It explores the role weak property rights play in exacerbating conflict in Sudan. Although most analysis of conflict in Africa posits ethnic, religious, or political disputes as the cause, this article…