System thinking approach to economic growth and poverty reduction in Cote d'Ivoire

Abstract

The present thesis work aims to propose a pathway to a sustainable economic growth and a fast reduction of poverty in Cote d'Ivoire. Poverty is a major social phenomenon that affects more than 50% of the world's population. In Cote d'Ivoire, 49% of the population is living under the poverty line with less than $1.25 a day, and the country is struggling to lift them out of poverty. But poverty is a complex issue to tackle. One solution, which most experts now agree on, consists in enhancing prosperity through the implementation of economic growth policies. The question this research aims to address is to know what specific growth policies would best suit to the social, economical, cultural and environmental situation of Cote d'Ivoire. The main lesson is that Cote d'Ivoire should focus on the development of its agricultural sector and build an agriculture innovation system that will foster the transfer of knowledge and the adoption of new technologies especially in the country's rural areas. This thesis work is original in that it uses systems thinking approach and systems engineering concepts and tools, to address the issues of economic growth and poverty reduction. By doing so, it brings new insights that increase the chances of success of the National Development Plan of Cote d'Ivoire and therefore contributes to the materialization of the country's ambition to become an emerging nation by 2020.