Electric Capitalism

Recolonising Africa on the Power Grid

David A. McDonald (Queen's University, Canada)

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Hardback

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English

Earthscan Ltd
16 December 2008

Development studies; Development economics; Environmental economics; Electrical power industries; The environment; Management of land & natural resources; Alternative & renewable energy sources & technology; Environmental science, engineering & technology

Although Africa is the most under-supplied region of the world for electricity, its economies are utterly dependent on it. There are enormous inequalities in electricity access, with industry receiving abundant supplies of cheap power while more than 80 per cent of the continent's population remain off the power grid. Africa is not unique in this respect, but levels of inequality are particularly pronounced here due to the inherent unevenness of 'electric capitalism' on the continent.

This book provides an innovative theoretical framework for understanding electricity and capitalism in Africa, followed by a series of case studies that examine different aspects of electricity supply and consumption. The chapters focus primarily on South Africa due to its dominance in the electricity market, but there are important lessons to be learned for the continent as a whole, not least because of the aggressive expansion of South African capital into other parts of Africa to develop and control electricity. Africa is experiencing a renewed scramble for its electricity resources, conjuring up images of a recolonisation of the continent along the power grid.

Written by leading academics and activists, Electric Capitalism offers a cutting-edge, yet accessible, overview of one of the most important developments in Africa today - with direct implications for health, gender equity, environmental sustainability and socio-economic justice. From nuclear power through prepaid electricity meters to the massive dam projects taking place in central Africa, an understanding of electricity reforms on the continent helps shape our insights into development debates in Africa in particular and the expansion of neoliberal capitalism more generally.

Edited by: David A. McDonald (Queen's University Canada)
Imprint: Earthscan Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm, Spine: 33mm
Weight: 1.020kg
ISBN: 9781844077144
ISBN 10: 1844077144
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 16 December 2008
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Primary , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

David A. McDonald is Director and Asociate Professor in the Department of Global Development Studies at Queen's University in Canada. He is also Co-Director of the Municipal Services Project, a multi-partner research program examining the impact of policy reforms on the delivery of basic municipal services to the urban and rural poor in southern Africa.

Reviews for Electric Capitalism: Recolonising Africa on the Power Grid

* 'A timely, original and important contribution to the debates on electricity reform in Africa and beyond' Ben Fine, Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London * 'Well researched, analytically appealing and highly topical' Vishnu Padayachee, Senior Professor of Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal