Indonesian and Nigerian politics paralleled each other to a remarkable degree before diverging suddenly when oil money came into play. Both were populous, ethnically diverse countries with abundant natural resources and histories of political turbulence and authoritarian rule. But despite these likenesses, the two countries have seen dramatic differences in economic performance over recent decades: Indonesia grew rapidly and was able to improve national standards of living, while Nigeria stagnated and experienced deepening poverty. Author Peter Lewis suggests that the explanation for this divergence is found in each country’s way of confronting policy reform and developing institutions for economic growth. Based on the author’s detailed study of forty years of economic change,
Growing Apart
offers conclusions about the policy decisions, governmental institutions, and political foundations needed for long-term economic growth.