From renaissance to relevance: Towards an applied African economic history

African economic history has experienced a renaissance over the past two decades. We now know more about Africa’s past, and we can speak with greater confidence about how historical forces still shape life today. But the use of history for comparisons to guide policy debates has lagged behind. In this paper I distinguish two policy-relevant roles for economic history. The first is explanatory, tracing how historical events continue to shape present-day development. The second is analogical, using contextualized historical comparisons to broaden what policymakers can responsibly contemplate when evidence is incomplete. Globally, incentives for economic historians still tilt towards explanation, even though African policymakers and businesses often ask first for comparisons. I review two strands of the renaissance – empirical reconstruction and the persistence turn. I set out a five-stage protocol for analogical reasoning and apply it to an African policy debate. I then explain why analogical work remains too rare, especially from Africa-based scholars, and argue that recent advances in computation, communication and teaching curricula make a more applied, policy-facing turn timely.