Description
Book SynopsisThere is a general consensus in the scholarly literature that the post-colonial state in Africa has failed. Some states (Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia) have collapsed. Various arguments have been proffered to explain this dynamics of African state failure and collapse. However, the literature on state reconstitution is inchoate and minimal. This edited volume focuses on prescriptions for reconstituting the post-colonial state in Africa. Essays on nine African states (Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, and Uganda) are preceded by an introduction to the political economy of the African state.
Table of ContentsPart 1 Background Chapter 2 Introduction: The Terminally Ill Berlinist State Chapter 3 Making the State Relevant: Theoretical Models Chapter 4 A Political Economy of the African State Part 5 Case Studies Chapter 6 Making the State Relevant in Burundi Chapter 7 Making the State Relevant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Chapter 8 State-Building in Ethiopia Chapter 9 The State, Its Reform, and the Question of Legitimacy in Kenya Chapter 10 Nigeria: Challenges to the State and the Way of Breaking Through the Quagmire Chapter 11 State Disintegration and the Restoration of Legitimate Authority in Sierra Leone Chapter 12 Somalia: State Failure, Collapse, and the Possibilities of State Reconstitution Chapter 13 Making the State Relevant in South Africa Chapter 14 Making the State Relevant: The Politics of State Reconstruction in Uganda Part 15 Future Prospects Chapter 16 Creating a Relevant State in Africa: The Lessons
