The distribution of economics research across Africa's 54 countries is highly uneven. I use a simple conceptual model and reduced-form regressions with cross-sectional, panel, and subnational data to explore the determinants of this distribution. Of the variation in research across countries, 93% can be explained by peacefulness, political institutions, international tourist arrivals, having English as an official language, and population. Within countries, research is concentrated in regions with higher income and large urban areas. Most research on African countries is context-specific, so the lack of research in many countries and regions means a smaller potential evidence base for local policymakers.

中文翻译：

---

研究沙漠和绿洲：来自 27000 篇关于非洲的经济学期刊文章的证据*

非洲 54 个国家的经济学研究分布极不均衡。我使用一个简单的概念模型和简化形式的回归与横截面、面板和地方数据来探索这种分布的决定因素。在各国研究的差异中，93% 可以用和平、政治制度、国际游客人数、以英语作为官方语言和人口来解释。在国家内部，研究集中在收入较高的地区和大城市地区。大多数关于非洲国家的研究都是针对具体情况的，因此许多国家和地区缺乏研究意味着当地政策制定者的潜在证据基础较小。