Arkebe Oqubay

Arkebe Oqubay
Senior Research Associate

email: arkebe@gmail.com
telephone: (+43-1) 533 66 10

Arkebe Oqubay, PhD, is Senior Research Associate at wiiw. He is a Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and has been at the centre of policymaking for over thirty years. Dr. Arkebe is a Professor of Practice at University of Johannesburg, and visiting professor to Sciences Po (Paris) and NTU (Singapore). He is an ODI Distinguished Fellow at Overseas Development Institute (a global think tank based in London), UNU-WIDER Honorary Research Fellow, and a research associate at the Centre of African Studies in the University of London. He is the founder of Policy, Research, and Dialogue for Africa which focuses on leading research on Africa and development economics. He holds a PhD in development studies from SOAS, University of London. His recent published works include: Made in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2015); The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy (Oxford University Press, 2019); How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch Up (Oxford University Press, 2019); China-Africa and an Economic Transformation (Oxford University Press, 2019); African Economic Development: Evidence, Theory, and Policy (Oxford University Press, 2020); The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development (Oxford University, 2020); and The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Policy (Oxford University Press, 2020). His research focus includes structural transformation, technological learning and catch-up, industrial policy, sustainability and urban transformation, Africa and global transformation, and public policy and leadership with a focus on emerging and developing countries and special interest on Africa.

Austria, Vienna

List of Publications

External Publications

External Publications

Articles in refereed journals
  • '5 Principles to Guide Adaptive Leadership' (with Dame Ruth Carnall, David Nabarro, Ben Ramalingam and Leni Wild), Harvard Business Review, 11 September 2020
Books (Monographs and editorship)
  • China’s Growth and Global Transformation (with José Antonio Ocampo), José Antonio Ocampo and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2021-22, forthcoming
  • The Oxford Handbook of the South African Economy (with Fiona Tregenna and Imraan Valodia), Arkebe Oqubay, Fiona Tregenna and Imraan Valodia (eds), Oxford University Press, 2021-22, forthcoming
  • Industrial Hubs and Development, Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2021-22, forthcoming
  • The Art of Industrial Policy (with José Antonio Ocampo), José Antonio Ocampo and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2021-22, forthcoming
  • The Handbook of Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability (with John Mathews), John Mathews and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2021-22, forthcoming
  • African Economic Development: Evidence, Theory, Policy (with Christopher Cramer and John Sender), Christopher Cramer, Arkebe Oqubay and John Sender (eds), Oxford University Press, 2020
  • The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development (with Justin Yifu Lin), Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2020
  • The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Policy (with Ha-Joon Chang, Christopher Cramer and Richard Kozul-Wright), Ha-Joon Chang, Christopher Cramer, Richard Kozul-Wright and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2020
  • The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy (with Fantu Cheru and Christopher Cramer), Fantu Cheru, Christopher Cramer and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2019
  • China‒Africa and an Economic Transformation (with Justin Yifu Lin), Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2019
  • How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch-up (with Kenichi Ohno), Kenichi Ohno and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), Oxford University Press, 2019
  • Made in Africa: Industrial Policy in Ethiopia, Oxford University Press, 2015
Articles in books
  • 'The Theory and Practice of Industrial Policy', in: Ha-Joon Chang, Christopher Cramer, Richard Kozul-Wright and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Policy, Oxford University Press, October 2020, pp. 17-60
  • 'How Can Europe Better Contribute to Africa’s Economic Transformation in a Post-Corona Era?', Africa’s Economic Transformation and the Future of EU-Africa Cooperation, Volume 21, CESifo Forum 2, Munich, July, 2020, pp. 3-10
  • 'Industrial Hubs and Economic Development: A Literature Review', in: Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development, Oxford University Press, July 2020, pp. 15-39
  • 'Industrial Hubs as Development Incubators: Asian Pioneers', in: Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development, Oxford University Press, July 2020, pp. 524‒558
  • 'A Strategic Approach to Industrial Hubs: Learnings in Ethiopia' (with Deborah Mekonnen Kefale), in: Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development, Oxford University Press, July 2020, pp. 877‒913
  • 'Industrial Hubs and Economic Development: Conclusion and Pathways to the Future' (with Justin Yifu Lin), in: Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development, Oxford University Press, July 2020, pp. 1121‒1132
  • 'África: Integración Económica Y Transformaciones Estructurales', Industrial Policy and Covid-19 Responses, ICE, Revista de Economía, May‒June 2020, pp. 97-113
  • 'The Journey of Ethiopian Airlines: Technological Learning and Catch-up in Aviation' (with Taffere Tesfachew), in: Kenichi Ohno and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch-up, chapter 11, Oxford University Press, August 2019, pp. 235‒261
  • 'Learning to Catch up in Africa' (with Taffere Tesfachew), in: Kenichi Ohno and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch-up, chapter 13, Oxford University Press, August 2019, pp. 285‒309
  • 'How Nations Learn Implications for Latecomers and Pathways to the Future' (with Kenichi Ohno), in: Kenichi Ohno and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch-up, chapter 14, Oxford University Press, August 2019, pp. 310‒319
  • 'The Future of China‒Africa Economic Ties: New Trajectory and Possibilities' (with Justin Yifu Lin), in: Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), China‒Africa and an Economic Transformation, chapter 15, Oxford University Press, June 2019, pp. 310‒324
  • 'Catalyzing China‒Africa Ties for Africa’s Structural Transformation: Lessons from Ethiopia' (with Fantu Cheru), in: Justin Yifu Lin and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), China‒Africa and an Economic Transformation, chapter 14, Oxford University Press, June 2019, pp. 282‒309
  • 'Ethiopia: Lessons from an Experiment', in: Justin Yifu Lin and Célestin Monga (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Structural Transformation, Oxford University Press, February 2019, pp. 591‒618
  • 'Industrial Policy and Late Industrialization in Ethiopia', in: Fantu Cheru, Christopher Cramer and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy, Oxford University Press, January 2019, pp. 605‒629
  • 'The Structure and Performance of the Ethiopian Manufacturing Sector', in: Fantu Cheru, Christopher Cramer and Arkebe Oqubay (eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Oxford University Press, January 2019, pp. 630‒650
Articles in non-refereed journals
  • 'Boris Johnson’s New Model Colonial Policy', Project Syndicate, 18 June 2020
  • 'Ethiopia’s Unconventional COVID-19 Response', Project Syndicate, 29 May 2020
  • 'Adaptive Leadership in the COVID-19 response: insights from Ethiopia', ODI Blogs, 27 May 2020
  • 'Ethiopia’s Response to COVID-19', Development Matters, OECD Development Centre, 26 May 2020
  • 'COVID-19 - An Unprecedented Threat Requires Unprecedented Leadership', Development Matters, OECD Development Centre, 24 April 2020
  • 'How Africa can Fight the Pandemic', Project Syndicate, 17 April 2020
  • 'Governments must catch up to curb the coronavirus pandemic', ODI Blogs, 17 March 2020
  • 'When COVID-19 Comes to Africa', Project Syndicate, 13 March 2020
  • 'Stop the Posturing on COVID-19', Project Syndicate, 5 March 2020
  • ''Global Britain' needs to fix its visa process', The Financial Times, 11 February 2020
  • 'Will the 2020s be the decade of Africa’s economic transformation?', ODI Blogs, 14 January 2020
  • 'How do Nations Learn? Why Development is First and Foremost About Learning', Development Matters, OECD Development Centre, 28 November 2019
  • 'Why industrialisation is vital for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to succeed', ODI Blogs, 20 November 2019
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