About Yaw
The purpose of this newsletter is simple: to investigate one of the oldest questions in economics and politics — why are some countries rich and others poor?
When people debate these topics they’ll usually say its a mix of geography, institutions, economic openness, industrial policy, culture, societal trust, IQ, state capacity, political economy dynamics, and luck.
I think all these factors are relevant and I try to incorporate all these factors when I write.
My Focus
My focus is on Africa, not because it’s the only region where the question matters, but because it’s where I have roots. My family is from Ghana, I’ve worked on the continent, and most of my closest friends are African. I’ve traveled, read, debated, and I’ve been consistently unimpressed with the shallow takes I found online.