- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- The effects of Keynesian thought on income distribution policies in the third world: a case study of the politics of income inequality in Nigeria, 1992
- Creator:
- Azubuike, Luke A.
- Date of Original:
- 1992-07-01
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- This paper attempts to explain why government redis-tribution policies often derived from Keynesian economics have failed to reduce inequalities in Nigeria. Based on the available information, it is found that the following factors are very important in understanding why government redistribution policies have failed to meet their policy objectives. These are differences in power between groups and individuals, the ideology of parties and party leaders, lack of sincere commitment to redistribute income by the government, ethnicity, regional politics, colonial experience, religion, the political culture of the country, unstable government, and problems associated with federalism. Most importantly, redistribution policies in Nigeria are a representation of the interest of the dominant groups both from within and without. It is the conclusion of this paper that the application of Keynesian policy can not reduce inequality in Nigeria significantly because of the European theoretical root of the policy which does not recognize the political, social, economic, and cultural peculiarities of Nigeria. The paper recommends a socialist approach if the major goal of the government is to maintain income equality at the expense of economic growth or a capitalist approach if the main objective is to pursue economic growth at the detriment of income equality. However, either of the two approaches must attempt to (1) increase the efficiency and availability of economic and social data, (2) radically restructure the current regressive taxing system, and (3) promote and maintain a stable polity through mass resistance to military takeover and embracing politics of accommodation by all ethnic and religious groupings in Nigeria.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:1992_azubuike_luke_a
- Rights Holder:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
