The Regional Fragmentation and the Reintegration of West African Economy through a Perspective of Currencies:20th and 21th Century

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03771
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic history
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: MASAKI Toyomu 金沢大学, 経済学経営学系, 教授 (30315527)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: CFAフラン / ECO / ECOWAS / UEMOA / UMOA / 通貨主権 / 操作勘定 / 旧仏領西アフリカ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In these days, the methodologies to realize the monetary integration in the ECOWAS region becomes a significant issue. Behind it lies that Francophone West African countries except for Guinea largely inherited the financial system that France introduced in the colonial era. Notably, the "compte d'operation" opened at the French Treasury, which was imperative to pegg the CFA franc to the Euro, becomes an obstacle to forming a more extensive monetary integration, including the former British and Portuguese countries. First, this study uncovered the various conflicts over the monetary integration in the ECOWAS region. Next, this research tried to investigate the historical backgrounds of the "compte d'operation" and also reviewed the British system to compare it. However, it turned out that we need further investigation of the French fiscal system itself to obtain effective research outcomes. We will reexamine it by the ongoing Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research.

Free Research Field

経済史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

西アフリカで現在話題となっている通貨をめぐる様々な論争の背景を明らかにした。研究成果の一部は、アジア経済研究所が発行する査読誌、『アフリカレポート』に2019年10月に掲載された。それ以降、2020年4月現在まで、本論文の月間ダウンロード数は、毎月120件程度で推移しており、6カ月間、当該雑誌の月間ダウンロードランキングで、常に3位以内に入っている。こうしたことからも、アフリカ研究の分野では、一般社会からもそれなりに関心を持たれているようである。