Suchergebnisse

This paper reviews empirical evidence concerning government errors of
commission and omission in Africa. Seen in the context of international
comparisons, how do African states measure up in the defensive functions of
avoiding government excess? And how do they rate in the constructive functions
of supplying public goods in response to demands from society? Regarding
errors of commission, African states do not stand out as singularly
prone to spend large shares of GNP, to employ high ratios of the population
in bureaucratic jobs, or to own extensive state-owned enterprises. The data
on errors of omission are more equivocal. African states do too little to prevent
corruption, to protect civil and political rights, and to secure the legal
environment for business. Yet, other developing regions display many of the
same deficiencies. Overall, there is little empirical evidence of a sui generis
African state.

The First Conference of Independent African States, attended by representatives of the independent states of western and northern Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, the Sudan, Tunisia, and the United Arab Republic), was held in Accra, Ghana, from April 15 to 22, 1958. The purpose of the conference was: 1) to discuss problems of common interest; 2) to formulate and coordinate methods aimed at accelerating mutual understanding; 3) to consider means of safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of participating countries and of assisting dependent African territories in their efforts toward the attainment of self-government; and 4) to plan cultural exchanges and mutual assistance schemes.

Precolonial African polities have emerged in recent years as fertile ground for the comparative archaeological study of social complexity and the state. For much of the twentieth century, precolonial African states were misinterpreted as the product of outside stimuli. Recent archaeological research on such polities, however, has revealed the autochthonous origins of social complexity and the state in Africa, providing valuable new insights for the comparative study of state formation in the past. This review outlines how archaeologists have tackled the precolonial state in Africa, beginning with an outline of colonial-era discourse on the nature of the state and civilization in Africa, followed by a discussion of how archaeological perspectives on power provide insights into political processes across the continent. Key examples are examined within four broadly defined subregions. Throughout this review, I highlight (a) the agency of indigenous political entrepreneurs in driving state formation across the continent, and (b) how alternative modes of power shaped the political contours of these precolonial African states.