Description: The book starts with the premise that Africa's economic renewal will require moving beyond the narrow bounds of structural adjustment reform and promoting the greater effectiveness of the region's public institutions. Economic reform will not be successful unless the central states in the region develop more productive relationships with the other institutions that inevitably condition economic relations and the context in which development takes place. This institutional debate is particularly important because the recent democratization of African public life has resulted in a rapidly evolving institutional landscape, with the emergence of significant new actors. Each of the chapters in this book examines these relationships and attempts to define the appropriate developmental role of the different institutions that can play a prominent role in Africa's economic future.
Review Quotes:
"This is a very useful and timely book. It provides us with an excellent overview of the salient issues on African development in the post-structural adjustment era. It will be required reading for those following development in Africa." - Carol Lancaster, Georgetown University.
"This timely volume arrives at a point when "second generation" reforms in Africa have forced new attention to the problem of institutional weakness on the sub-continent. Leading off with a thoughtful overview essay by Cornell University political scientist Nicolas van de Walle, an international collection of experts limn these challenges. They probe the reasons for state collapse, bankruptcy, and the many failures of donor assistance, but also turn a bright light on the innovations born from crisis, and the quiet triumphs that can sometimes be found hidden beneath the often gloomy statistics. Rich in data and case studies that highlight the governance issues embedded in natural resource management, tax collection, democracy, civil society, business, and security, this book will be an authoritative reference for scholars and specialists, as well as students of Africa's political economy, security, and development." - Deborah Bräutigam, International Development Program, American University