{"product_id":"the-politics-of-africas-economic-stagnation-paperback-9780521319614","title":"The Politics of Africa's Economic Stagnation (Paperback) 9780521319614","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Politics of Africa's Economic Stagnation\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRichard Sandbrook (Author), Judith Barker (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521319614, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback, published 29 November 1985\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e200 pages\u003cbr\u003e18.5 x 12.4 x 1.5 cm, 0.252 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eAfrican states are not, in any real sense, capitalist states. Elsewhere, the state has played a crucial role in facilitating capitalist expansion, but in postcolonial Africa one finds a form of neopatrimonialism - personal rule - that introduces a variety of economic irrationalities. Productive economic activities are impeded by the political instability, systemic corruption and maladminstration associated with personal rule. In extreme cases, a downward spiral of political-economic decline is set in motion that is difficult to halt and reverse. Is personal rule simply a euphemism for ineptitude and mismanagement? The authors argue that it is not; it operates according to a particular political rationality that shapes a ruler's actions when, in the absence of legitimate authority, he is confronted with the challenge of governing an unintegrated peasant society. Neopatrimonialism is essentially an adaptation of colonial-inspired political institutions to peculiar historical and social conditions. This book focuses on the political factor as an important cause of Africa's economic ills. It analyses the social conditions impelling political adaptation and the consequences of personal rule for economic life, and surveys creative responses to the predicament African people now face.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of tables\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e Glossary\u003cbr\u003e Map\u003cbr\u003e 1. Disappointments of independence\u003cbr\u003e 2. Why capitalism fails\u003cbr\u003e 3. Colonial roots of the contemporary crisis\u003cbr\u003e 4. Class, tribe and politics\u003cbr\u003e 5. Anatomy of personal rule\u003cbr\u003e 6. The downward spiral\u003cbr\u003e 7. Survival strategies\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Political economy [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Political economy\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Political%20economy%20%5BKCP%5D%22\"\u003eKCP\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46007087825176,"sku":"9780521319614","price":28.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521319614i_1f82fd86-0f04-452b-b0e4-60f482942d08.jpg?v=1691375178","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-politics-of-africas-economic-stagnation-paperback-9780521319614","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}