What if borders were never meant to last? with economist Elias Papaioannou

What determines opportunity in Africa? Does religion shape upward mobility? How do artificial borders, landmines, and weak states constrain economic development? And why has Africa largely resisted the global rise of populism?

In this episode of the Our Long Walk podcast, Jonathan Schoots and I sit down with Elias Papaioannou, academic director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development and professor of economics at the London Business School. Elias is a leading researcher in international finance, political economy and economic history – especially of Africa. His work blends rich historical datasets with cutting-edge econometrics to reveal how institutions, geography, and social structures shape long-run development.

Some of Elias’s mentioned work:

Religion and educational mobility in Africa

The political economy of populism

The long-run effects of the scramble for Africa

Landmines and spatial development

This podcast is produced with the help of Voice Note Productions. Our producer is Vasti Calitz with editing done by Andri Burnett. Kelsey Lemon provided helpful research assistance.

For more information about the episode and to subscribe to Johan’s newsletter, visit ourlongwalk.com.