… A very important and well-structured contribution to a governance and state capacity problem that has thus far escap­ed analytical and empirical consideration.

—Garth le Pere (Institute for Global Dialogue), New Agenda

Western notions of statehood have tended to influence the analysis of the viability of states in Africa, particularly the view that larger states have the greater potential to sustain economic viability. Yet, against a background of much recent progress on the African continent in terms of economic development and improvements in governance, it is the larger African states which have persistently disappointed – both in terms of their own economic and political development and in terms of their ability to exert a positive influence on the region in which they are located. In this study of six African ‘big states’, specialists across a range of disciplines analyse both the country-specific factors which have led to all but one of these states being described as dysfunctional, as well as cross-cutting issues which affect all of the big states in Africa and which may have contributed to ‘dysfunctionality’.

List of Contributors: Christopher Clapham, Jeffrey Herbst, Greg Mills, Jack Kalpakian, Daniel C Bach, Claude Kabemba, Tim Hughes, Marina Ottaway, Nicolas van de Walle, Gail Wannenberg, Joseph Ayee and Garth Abraham

Christopher Clapham is an associate of the Centre of African Studies, Cambridge University, United Kingdom. Jeffrey Herbst is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University, United States. Greg Mills is Directo­r of the Brenthurst Foundation, Johannesburg.

Contents:

Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills: Africa’s Big Dysfunctional States: An Introductory Overview

Christopher Clapham: Ethiopia

Jack Kalpakian:  War over Identity: The Case of Sudan

Daniel C Bach: Inching Towards a Country Without State: Prebendalism, Violence and State Betrayal in Nigeria

Tim Hughes: South Africa: The Contrarian Big African State

Claude Kabemba: Big Dysfunctional States: The Democratic Republic of Congo,

Greg Mills: From Confusão to Estamos Jungos? Bigness, Development and State Dysfunction in Angola

Marina Ottaway: Dysfunctional States, Dysfunctional Armed Movements, and Lootable Commodities

Nicolas van de Walle: International Responses to State Dysfunctionality

Jeffrey Herbst: Conflict in Africa: Armies, Rebels and Geography

Gail Wannenburg: Africa’s Big States and Organised Crime

Joseph Ayee: Leading Large States

Garth Abraham: Africa and its Boundaries, A Legal Overview: From Colonialism to the African Union

Christopher Clapham: Conclusion: Policy Options for the Problems of Africa’s Big States

 

 

Christopher Clapham is an associate of the Centre of African Studies, Cambridge University. Jeffrey Herbst is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University, Ohio. Greg Mills is Director of the Brenthurst Foundation