It is increasingly argued that bargaining between citizens and governments over tax collection can provide a foundation for the development of responsive and accountable governance in developing countries. However, while intuitively attractive, surprisingly little research has captured the reality and complexity of this relationship in practice. This book provides the most complete treatment of the connections between taxation and accountability in developing countries, providing both new evidence and an invaluable starting point for future research. Drawing on cross-country econometric evidence and detailed case studies from Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia, Wilson Prichard shows that reliance on taxation has, in fact, increased responsiveness and accountability by expanding the political power wielded by taxpayers. Critically, however, processes of tax bargaining have been highly varied, frequently long term and contextually contingent. Capturing this diversity provides novel insight into politics in developing countries and how tax reform can be designed to encourage broader governance gains.

This thesis explores the argument that the need for governments to raise tax revenue, as opposed to relying on resource rents or other sources of non-tax revenue, may increase the likelihood that they will be responsive and accountable to their citizens. It employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, first testing the relationship between tax reliance and accountability econometrically using cross-country data and then turning to detailed case studies from Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia. The econometric results conclude that while existing data is consistent with the argument that tax reliance contributes to greater responsiveness and accountability, it is not possible to establish causality due to a combination of data limitations and the complexity of the underlying causal processes. This ambiguous finding provides motivation for the detailed case studies that follow. The causal model developed here proposes that the need for governments to rely on taxation may strengthen taxpayer demands for responsiveness and accountability, owing to the possibility of tax resistance and the role of taxation as a catalyst for collective action. Consistent with this model, the case study chapters present detailed historical narratives that capture significant examples from each of the three countries in which the need for taxation has contributed significantly to the expansion of responsiveness and accountability. As importantly, the case study evidence provides a nuanced understanding of the nature of the connections between taxation, responsiveness and accountability, highlighting three distinct types of causal processes at work, as well as the most significant social, political and economic contextual factors that shape the potential for tax bargaining. These lessons point toward important policy implications for foreign aid and tax reform more broadly.

Trade is an essential driver for sustained economic growth, and growth is necessary for poverty reduction. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where three-fourths of the poor live in rural areas, spurring growth and generating income and employment opportunities is critical for poverty reduction strategies. Seventy percent of the population lives in rural areas, where livelihoods are largely dependent on the production and export of raw agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa, and cotton, whose prices in real terms have been steadily declining over the past decades. The deterioration in the terms of trade resulted for Africa in a steady contraction of its share in global trade over the past 50 years. Diversification of agriculture into higher-value, non-traditional exports is seen today as a priority for most of these countries. Some African countries-in particular, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, CÔte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Zimbabwe-have managed to diversify their agricultural sector into non-traditional, high-value-added products such as cut flowers and plants, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. To learn from these experiences and better assist other African countries in designing and implementing effective agricultural growth and diversification strategies, the World Bank has launched a comprehensive set of studies under the broad theme of "Agricultural Trade Facilitation and Non-Traditional Agricultural Export Development in Sub-Saharan Africa." This study provides an in-depth analysis of the current structure and dynamics of the European import market for flowers and fresh horticulture products. It aims to help client countries, industry stakeholders, and development partners to get a better understanding of these markets, and to assess the prospects and opportunities they offer for Sub-Saharan African exporters.

Taxation has been seen as the domain of charisma-free accountants, lawyers and number crunchers – an unlikely place to encounter big societal questions about democracy, equity or good governance. Yet it is exactly these issues that pervade conversations about taxation among policymakers, tax collectors, civil society activists, journalists and foreign aid donors in Africa today. Tax has become viewed as central to African development. Written by leading international experts, Taxing Africa offers a cutting-edge analysis on all aspects of the continent's tax regime, displaying the crucial role such arrangements have on attempts to create social justice and push economic advancement. From tax evasion by multinational corporations and African elites to how ordinary people navigate complex webs of 'informal' local taxation, the book examines the potential for reform, and how space might be created for enabling locally-led strategies.