Title: The "Just-In-Case" Economy: Social Abundance as a Contradiction to Capitalist Rationality in African Development
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Musiimenta Nancy
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Pages: 199-207
Publication Date: 2026/01/28
Abstract:
Background: Africa's developmental paradox persistent poverty despite abundant resources-remains inadequately explained by conventional economic and political frameworks. Three deeply embedded cultural practices may influence development outcomes: kinship-based generosity that redistributes individual earnings across extended networks, spiritual attribution frameworks that locate economic causality in divine or supernatural forces, and polygamous family structures that distribute paternal resources across multiple wives and numerous children. Objective: This study examined the relationships between generosity norms, spiritual beliefs, polygamous household structures, and household economic outcomes in selected African communities, assessing both positive social functions and potential developmental constraints. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was implemented between March and October 2023 across four communities in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. A stratified random sample of 1,847 households was drawn, with data collected through structured questionnaires administered to household heads and 342 individual interviews with economically active adults. Outcome variables included savings behavior, entrepreneurial investment, asset accumulation, planning orientation, risk-taking behavior, and per-child educational and health investments. Univariate analysis generated descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis employed chi-square tests and t-tests to examine unadjusted associations, and multivariate logistic regression models estimated odds ratios for key outcomes while controlling for confounders including household income, education, and location. Results: High generosity obligations were associated with 58% lower odds of maintaining regular savings (OR=0.42, 95% CI [0.34, 0.52], p<0.001), as households redistributed an average of 31.4% of monthly income to extended kin compared to 8.6% among low-obligation households. High spiritual attribution was associated with 69% lower odds of long-term planning (OR=0.31, 95% CI [0.24, 0.40], p<0.001), shorter planning horizons (16.7 versus 38.4 months, p<0.001), and longer recovery from economic shocks (9.6 versus 4.8 months, p<0.001). Polygamous households demonstrated 53% lower odds of per-child secondary school completion (OR=0.47, 95% CI [0.38, 0.58], p<0.001), with each additional wife associated with 23% further reduction (OR=0.77, p=0.002), and girls in polygamous households faced compounded disadvantages (interaction OR=0.58, p=0.001), receiving 34% less educational investment than boys. Conclusion: This study provided robust evidence that kinship-based generosity, spiritual attribution frameworks, and polygamous family structures-while serving important social and cultural functions-were significantly associated with reduced household savings, constrained economic planning, and diminished per-child human capital investment. These findings illuminated the double-edged nature of these practices and suggested the need for culturally-sensitive development interventions that preserve valued social solidarity while enabling economic mobility, including adaptive financial products that accommodate redistribution pressures, empowerment programs that bridge spiritual worldviews with practical planning, and targeted interventions addressing resource dilution in complex households, particularly for vulnerable girls and children of junior wives.