Erratic Development in Kenya: Questions from the East Asian Miracle

Abstract

At first sight, Kenya seems to have had more scope than other African countries to emulate the development trajectory described in the World Bank study, The East Asian Miracle. These assets did not, however, result in sustained growth – an outcome this article aims to explain using a negative turning point in the early 1990s. The most striking difference between the East Asian and Kenyan experiences was the acceptance – and even exacerbation – of socio‐economic inequality as an immutable reality of development, plus the weak belief in the integrity of Kenyan institutions. A constitutional review process is one possible political solution for this.

Antecedents of Corporate Entrepreneurship in SMEs: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

“…We chose the Kenyan services sector as the research site for our empirical investigation because it has been described as one of the most entrepreneurially oriented sectors of the Kenyan economy (Nyanjom and Ong'olo ). Through active government support and through opening up foreign competition, the sector has undergone profound political, economic, and social changes over the past 15 years (Balistreri, Rutherford, and Tarr ; Nyanjom and Ong'olo ). As such, SMEs in this sector have found themselves making significant adjustments to their business processes and strategies in order to remain competitive, resulting in the emergence of several highly innovative and entrepreneurial firms within the sector.…”

Developmental States in Africa? A Review of Ongoing Debates and Buzzwords

“…Equitable growth in agriculture can, therefore, be seen as a key driver of development in developmentnal states. This accords with research emphasising how part of the significant impact of these agricultural activities lies in the number of people that these development strategies reached (Henley, undated) and the equity of the growth strategy (Nyanjom and Ong'olo, 2012). Henley contrasts the broad outreach agricultural policies pursued in Indonesia and Malaysia with Kenya's less successful policies which were centred on more elitist schemes that favoured 'progressive farmers' and disregarded the majority (undated: 5).…”

The Kenyan Environment’s Influence on the Emergence and Development of Corporate Entrepreneurship Among SMEs

“…The services sector accounts for approximately 63% of Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has historically led much of Kenya's economic growth (Library of Congress 2007). As part of the nation's economic re-adjustment strategy, the sector has undergone significant social, political, economic and structural changes over the past 15 years (Nyanjom and Ong'olo, 2012). This has resulted in an opening up of the services sector to increased foreign competition, especially in the form of MNCs from the US and China (Balistreri et al, 2009).…”