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This book reviews fifty years of research on politics in Africa. It synthesizes insights from different scholarly approaches and offers an original interpretation of the knowledge accumulated over the years. It discusses how research on African politics relates the study of politics in other regions and mainstream theories in Comparative Politics. It focuses on such key issues as the legacy of a movement approach to political change, the nature of the state, the economy of a location, the policy deficit, the agrarian question, gender and politics and ethnicity and conflict.
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P1: FBQ 0521856167pre CB938B/Hyden 0 521 85616 7 October 26, 2005 This page intentionally left blank ii 16:4 P1: FBQ 0521856167pre CB938B/Hyden 0 521 85616 7 October 26, 2005 16:4 African Politics in Comparative Perspective This book reviews fifty years of research on politics in Africa. It synthesizes insights from different scholarly approaches and offers an original interpretation of the knowledge accumulated over the years. It discusses how research on African politics relates to the study of politics in other regions and mainstream theories in comparative politics. It focuses on such key issues as the legacy of a movement approach to political change, the nature of the state, the economy of affection, the policy deficit, the agrarian question, gender and politics, and ethnicity and conflict. It concludes by reviewing what scholars agree upon and what the accumulated knowledge offers as insights for more effective political and policy reforms. This book is an ideal text in undergraduate and graduate courses in African and comparative politics as well as in development-oriented courses in political science and related disciplines. It is also of great relevance to governance and development analysts and to practitioners in international organizations. Goran Hyden is distinguished professor in political science at the University of Florida. His publications include Beyond Ujamaa in Tanzania (1980); No Shortcuts to Progress (1983); Governance and Politics in Africa, coedited with Michael Bratton (1992); and Making Sense of Governance, coauthored with Julius Court and Kenneth Mease (2004). He served as president of the African Studies Association in 1995. He has also served as a consultant on African development to many international agencies. i P1: FBQ 0521856167pre CB938B/Hyden 0 521 85616 7 ii October 26, 2005 16:4 P1: FBQ 0521856167pre CB938B/Hyden 0 521 85616 7 October 26, 2005 African Politics in Comparative Perspective GORAN HYDEN University of Florida iii 16:4 cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521856164 © Goran Hyden 2006 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format isbn-13 isbn-10 978-0-511-14009-9 eBook (EBL) 0-511-14009-6 eBook (EBL) isbn-13 isbn-10 978-0-521-85616-4 hardback 0-521-85616-7 hardback isbn-13 isbn-10 978-0-521-67194-1 0-521-67194-9 Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee tha