African Miracle, African Mirage is an original contribution to the growing literature of the political economy of Côte d'Ivoire and Francophone Africa. The ‘African Miracle’ (1950s and 1960s) is characterised by fast economic growth, critical infrastructure development and the creation of commercial banks supporting local businesses. The ‘African Mirage’ (beginning in the late 1970s) refers to a period of poor economic performance. Bamba has produced a sharp economic history of Côte d'Ivoire's ‘African Miracle’ and ‘African Mirage’, and proposes a convincing, nuanced insight that enlightens Francophone Africa's political economy.

Bamba's book is worthy of interest for three reasons. First, he proposes a counterintuitive and well-documented analysis of the role played by the USA in the modernisation of Côte d'Ivoire, a role that is often overlooked as most scholars focus on France. This is particularly important as Côte d'Ivoire and its late president Felix Houphouët-Boigny have been seen as key players of FrançAfrique. Shaking the preconceived ideas, Bamba demonstrates eloquently that the hegemony of the French was ‘wittily’ contested as Ivorian leaders appealed to the USA for targeted involvement in strategic development areas.

Second, while most scholars focus on a few actors when studying similar topics, Bamba provides one of the most comprehensive explanations of the economic history of Cote d'Ivoire. For example, he brilliantly analyses the role of local political and economic elites, small farmers, colonial bureaucrats, post-colonial experts, corporations, including multinational firms, diplomats, students, and intellectuals, including economists among others (p. 12). His work is comprehensive, not to say encyclopaedic. He provides a pleasant analysis of the complex interactions between international and national actors, public and private ones, leaders and citizens, and how the push and pull between these various actors affected development outcomes. Along these lines, the downfall (‘Mirage’) of Côte d'Ivoire in the 1980s is partly explained by the overreliance on foreign capital and expertise, excessive nationalisation, so-called ‘Ivoirisation’ of the economy, shortsightedness of leaders, as well as the refusal of Ivorian officials to take the bull by the horns when signs of recession occurred. When facing the warning from the IMF (p. 167) or domestic critiques (intellectuals and popular voices), they looked away, until it was too late.

Finally, Bamba's multidisciplinary perspective enriches his analysis. He builds on history by borrowing from historical geography, historical sociology, economic history, intellectual history, transnational relations, and to a certain extent, public policy. He has succeeded in applying such an eclectic framework where many scholars would have failed. He draws from a broad range of primary (archives, etc.) and secondary sources (including scholarly publications and interviews, particularly from African voices), and provides the reader with rich anecdotes, making the book a great read.

Some may wonder why the book gives too strong a voice to Samir Amin, the Egyptian Marxist who predicted the failure of Cote d'Ivoire, speaking about ‘growth without development’. Others would have also wanted a more systematic comparison of Côte d'Ivoire with other Francophone countries that went from the ‘Miracle’ to the ‘Mirage’ in the same period both in Central and West Africa. However, Bamba's book will most likely become a classic for the study of Côte d'Ivoire's economic history.