--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the West, the basic economic and…" description: "\"In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the individual; in Africa, it is the extended family or the collective.\" — George Ayittey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png" --- # In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the… ![“In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the individual; in Africa, it is the extended family or the collective.” quote by George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png) > “In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the individual; in Africa, it is the extended family or the collective.” [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts Western individualism with African collectivism, highlighting differing social and economic foundations. **In simple terms:** West focuses on individuals; Africa emphasizes families or groups. Key Takeaway Recognize cultural context in policy and development. Themes culture economics family individualism collectivism Mood analytical thoughtful Type sociological comparative When to use this quote - development aid - business strategy - community projects - education reform Key Concepts social structure economic organization Questions to Reflect On - How do these models affect economic growth? - Can hybrid approaches work? A Different Perspective May oversimplify diverse societies and ignore intra‑regional differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Extended family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extended-family/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) ## Related quotes > [Family: A social unit where the father is concerned with parking space, the children with outer space, and the mother with closet space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/family-a-social-unit-where-the-father-is-concerned-with-parking-space/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Villages are small and personal, and their inhabitants have names, characters, and personalities. What more appropriate concept on which to base our institutions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/villages-are-small-and-personal-and-their-inhabitants-have-names/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [The family was not only the social unit, but also the unit of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-family-was-not-only-the-social-unit-but-also-the-unit-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Contrary to what many say, Real are a unit. Individual brilliance is always a last resort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul/contrary-to-what-many-say-real-are-a-unit-individual-brilliance-is/) [Raul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul/) > [Family is a collective expression of individual perspective-a living work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/family-is-a-collective-expression-of-individual-perspective-a-living/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [ \[...\] a number of flawed individuals can often add up to a brilliant social unit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/a-number-of-flawed-individuals-can-often-add-up-to-a-brilliant-social/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“The instant the old folks had entered their codes and the Harmony program had begun to sing, suicide disappeared from human society. Nearly all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/project-itoh/the-instant-the-old-folks-had-entered-their-codes-and-the-harmony/) [Project Itoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/project-itoh/) > [Twenty thousand years ago the family was the social unit. Now the social unit has become the world, in which it may truthfully be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-compton/twenty-thousand-years-ago-the-family-was-the-social-unit-now-the/) [Arthur Compton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-compton/) > [“The individual is increasingly deprived of the moral decision as to how he should live his own life, and instead is ruled, fed, clothed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-jung/the-individual-is-increasingly-deprived-of-the-moral-decision-as-to/) [Carl Gustav Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-jung/) > [“As children, a great number of us were taught by our parents, carers, extended family members, and teachers, that showing any form of emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mateo-sol/as-children-a-great-number-of-us-were-taught-by-our-parents-carers/) [Mateo Sol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mateo-sol/) > [I come from a big extended family, so it's very normal to be around babies for us, but when it's your own, it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taika-waititi/i-come-from-a-big-extended-family-so-it-s-very-normal-to-be-around/) [Taika Waititi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taika-waititi/) > [But anyway, it's obvious through human experience that extended families and tribes are terribly important. We can do without an extended family as human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/but-anyway-it-s-obvious-through-human-experience-that-extended/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [My heart is filled with love for my new extended family - the billion-plus people in China who have shown me nothing but unconditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephon-marbury/my-heart-is-filled-with-love-for-my-new-extended-family-the-billion/) [Stephon Marbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephon-marbury/) > [“The breakdown of the neighborhoods also meant the end of what was essentially an extended family…With the breakdown of the extended family, too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/the-breakdown-of-the-neighborhoods-also-meant-the-end-of-what-was/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [I visited the archeological site at the northern tip of Newfoundland. There is no question about it. It has been definitely determined that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-freedman/i-visited-the-archeological-site-at-the-northern-tip-of-newfoundland/) [Russell Freedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-freedman/) ## More by George Ayittey > [There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/there-was-free-trade-in-africa-there-was-free-enterprise-in-africa/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [The only good dictator is a dead one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/the-only-good-dictator-is-a-dead-one/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/hippos-kill-more-people-in-africa-annually-than-any-other-wild-animal/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Socialism is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/socialism-is-always-wrong/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Look at the history of peace accords in Africa. They have a terrible record. They are shredded even before the ink on them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/look-at-the-history-of-peace-accords-in-africa-they-have-a-terrible/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [The richest persons in Africa are heads of state, governors and ministers. So every 'educated' African who wants to be rich - and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/the-richest-persons-in-africa-are-heads-of-state-governors-and/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Traditionally, Africans hate governments. They hate tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/traditionally-africans-hate-governments-they-hate-tyranny/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. Not anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/back-in-the-1960s-africa-not-only-fed-itself-it-also-exported-food/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Just because a group does not take its decisions by voting does not mean they have no understanding of the essence of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/just-because-a-group-does-not-take-its-decisions-by-voting-does-not/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Africa's salvation doesn't lie in begging and begging for more aid, and as an African, I find it very, very humiliating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/africa-s-salvation-doesn-t-lie-in-begging-and-begging-for-more-aid/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [African history is filled with experiences of people shooting their way to power and then splintering into factions, like in Somalia and Liberia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/african-history-is-filled-with-experiences-of-people-shooting-their/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Africa is poor because she is not free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/africa-is-poor-because-she-is-not-free/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Dictators cause the world's worst problems: all the collapsed states, and all the devastated economies. All the vapid cases of corruption, grand theft, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/dictators-cause-the-world-s-worst-problems-all-the-collapsed-states/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/getting-rid-of-the-dictator-is-only-a-first-step-in-establishing-a/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/if-nato-goes-in-and-solves-the-crisis-in-darfur-when-the-next-one/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) [Explore all 36 George Ayittey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) ## More Collectives quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [There is a way in which the collective knowledge of mankind expresses itself, for the finite individual, through mere daily living . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/there-is-a-way-in-which-the-collective-knowledge-of-mankind-expresses/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Through Sahaja Yoga what happens to you, that you become a collective personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/through-sahaja-yoga-what-happens-to-you-that-you-become-a-collective/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [If you need someone to come out of the sewer with a wire you don't hire someone who needs laborious collective instruction. You let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-need-someone-to-come-out-of-the-sewer-with-a-wire-you-don-t/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [Man, in the collective sense, is the hero of science. Man, in the collective sense, is the hero of Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/man-in-the-collective-sense-is-the-hero-of-science-man-in-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) Browse all 1,039 Collectives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the individual; in Africa, it is the extended family or the collective.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Ayittey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-social-unit-is-the-individual-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collectives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-social-unit-is-the-individual-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/george-ayittey-17835_collectives_in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-socia_3060242.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the West, the basic economic and social unit is the individual; in Africa, it is the extended family or…” — George Ayittey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Ayittey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the West, the basic economic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-social-unit-is-the-individual-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/in-the-west-the-basic-economic-and-social-unit-is-the-individual-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```