Opinion: Rank African leaders to foster commitment to shared growth

In the book “Why Nations Fail,” the authors argue that some nations are wealthier and more prosperous than others because of their inclusive political and economic institutions — and not because of their climate, geography, or culture.

Likewise, in “Gambling on Development: Why Some Countries Win and Others Lose,” the author Stefan Dercon proposes that a key difference between countries that develop and those that do not is a commitment to shared growth by the elites.

Yet a fundamental question that remains unanswered in these books and more generally is how to get heads of governments to create the necessary environments for inclusive political and economic institutions and to commit to shared growth for their countries. A leadership ranking index could hold the answer.