ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a closer look at the post-colonial divergence between the Congo and Indonesia during the regimes of Suharto and Mobutu, between 1965 and 1997. 1 The data summarized in Table 12.1 indicate just how dramatic this divergence was in terms of economic growth and the structures of production and export underpinning it. After 1965, the Congo changed from an export- driven economy harboring one of the few industrializing enclaves on the African continent into a low-growth, predominantly agricultural subsistence zone with only a small industrial base, dependent on fluctuating foreign demand for its natural resources. In contrast, Indonesia enjoyed strong and persistent economic growth per capita, and has gradually upgraded its export structure in recent decades to include more labor-intensive and capital-intensive merchandise.
