Politics and government in African states, 1960–1985, edited by P. Duignan and R. H. Jackson Croom Helm, London, 442 pp.
| Date | 01 December 1992 |
| Published date | 01 December 1992 |
| Author | G. W. Jones |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230120507 |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOL.
12,511-512 (1992)
Book
Reviews
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT IN AFRICAN STATES, 1960-1985,
edited
by
P.
Duignan
and
R.
H.
Jackson
Croom Helm, London, 442 pp.
Here is a volume of genuine comparative analysis which appears not only in the introduction
and conclusion contributed by the two editors but also in the separate chapters on groups
of countries written by a team of distinguished experts. They focus on the experiences since
1960 of 32 of the 41 sub-Saharan states of Africa. Each chapter follows a similar format:
the state machinery; the civil service; the parastatals; defence and police forces; party structure
and political pressures; together with a survey of social, ethnic and economic factors, all
set in the context of international politics. The editors weld the different sections into a coherent
unity, and the authors display a high standard of scholarship. Deficiencies are the lack
of
maps and tables
of
vital statistics, the misspelling
of
Mitterrand throughout, and the reference
to Lesotho instead of Botswana on page 347.
This book
is
sponsored by the Hoover Institution, which may make some suspicious of
its major conclusions, although they emerge clearly from the studies. The main lesson is:
‘Heavy reliance on the state apparatus is far more likely to provoke stagnation and decay
than to promote development.’ The answer is to curtail statism and let capitalism develop.
The state should be slimmed down and concentrate on defence, law and order and justice
as the bases for civil society and a market economy, which can be best assisted by a stable
currency, sound infrastructure and services to support business and farming. The state should
sustain and not oppress entrepreneurship.
The statist approach has led to swollen and corrupt bureaucracies, incompetent and discre-
dited, which have despoiled rather than developed their societies. The message for aid givers
is to direct it more carefully to projects that promote economic liberalism and governmental
reform, and to liberalise their own trade policies to encourage imports from the developing
countries. However, there is an aspect of governance neglected by this book, which those
concerned with helping less developed countries should take account of: local government.
Instead of building up top-heavy bureaucracies, training should focus
on
staff
in
field offices
operating close to the people. The big gap in this book
is
decentralised government. It has
an important role to play in changing the culture of governance to a public service ethic
instead of one that distributes favours to friends, kin and ethnic groups. The future of the
less developed countries will not be optimistic until more attention is paid to developing
not only business entrepreneurship but also the institutions and culture of civil government.
G.
W.
JONES,
London
School of Economics and Political Science.
MANAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Peter
Smith
Elsevier Applied Science, 1989,276 pp.
This is a somewhat odd book, but is not devoid of value by any means. The author is an
experienced teacher and consultant based at the Institute of Development Policy and Manage-
ment within Manchester University. He draws primarily from his experience in these capacities
to put together a readable account of a number of topics which he sees as relevant to managing
agricultural and rural development. In doing
so,
he also provides competent coverage of
the work of a number
of
management theorists (e.g. the literature on motivation and project
management). He also discusses topics which are less well covered in the development adminis-
tration literature.
For
example, there is a stimulating discussion of self-management; this
0
1992 by John Wiley
8c
Sons, Ltd.
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