Is Geography Really Destiny: The Case of Botswana

Abstract

Unlike Sub-Saharan African countries, Botswana's high growth rates are expressed as the “African Miracle”. There are two views behind the Botswana growth miracle. The first is that the diamond and other precious metals trade rapidly increased the country's gross domestic product. The second is the thoughts that highlight the successful institutions of the country and the policies it has developed. Despite these two different views, the reality is that the increase in the income of the country cannot be spread to all segments of the society. Although the rich mineral deposits operation increases the income of the country, the increase in the income of the society is much more tragic for Sierre Leona with similar characteristics. In this study, an analysis model covering the years 1965- 1995 was created for the determinants of Botswana growth performance. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the growth per capita capital stock and the variables that could not be included in the model were determined to a large extent. In addition, relatively weak evidence was found that the participatory structure of the country and the nature of the institutional structure explain the miracle of growth.