Africa is often held up as a
development failure, with The Economist magazine famously branding it the
“Hopeless Continent” in 2000.
This book shatters such a misrepresentation and
shows many examples of development success on the continent. To do this it uses
an easy to understand comparative method and the author shows that the main
determinant of success is an active and effective state which can sponsor and
support development interventions and policies.
It is accessibly written and
has excellent coverage across the continent.
“A masterful study of policy successes in Africa…. This book is much more than a specialized monograph―it is a model for the application of the comparative method…. Highly recommended.”―Choice
"Hern provides a robust analysis of key questions in African politics and development…. Well written and engaging, her book pushes conventional thinking about the region. Students and scholars alike will benefit from its insights." ―Amy Patterson, University of the South
What does it take for African countries to achieve political and economic successes? Scholarship on Africa tends to focus on the barriers to reaching desired outcomes. While recognizing that these barriers…
China’s role in Africa in the last two decades has attracted substantial
attention.
Based on extensive research this book cuts through much
misrepresentation and shows the actual nature and scale of China’s engagement
on the continent through a focus on its signature foreign policy initiative –
the Belt and Road announced in 2013 by the Chinese President. One of the things
that makes this book distinctive is its analytical clarity.
For example while
the term hegemony is often used in international relations it is often not
defined. Züfle argues that “a global hegemony is said to
exist when a development model expands beyond national borders and, through
political projects creates a material, ideational and institutional order that
other states and societies regard as compatible with their own interests”.
This book examines the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in East Africa. The BRI is considered China's central geopolitical and geo-economic project in the era of President Xi Jinping. Through this work, the author aims to contribute to filling some research gaps, such as the lack of depth in studies of individual BRI projects and the underconsideration of processing narratives in participating countries. The guiding question is the extent to which the BRI is a political or hegemonic project of the CCP-directed state-civil society complex in East Africa. To answer these questions, databases of international organizations and…
I loved this book because it deals with one of the most intriguing
elements of China’s engagement in Africa – its relationship with small state of
Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
It is based on extensive primary research and
gives great insights into the competition between different external powers
and the way in which the Djiboutian state has been able to negotiate this to
its own advantage. In particular it shows how Dubai World Ports was displaced
from the port by a Chinese company. Barton has a keen (geo)political analytical
sense and supports his arguments with detailed and compelling empirical data.
This book focuses on underexploited data drawn from various legal disputes over the Doraleh Container Terminal in order to paint a portrait of SSC when it comes to infrastructure financing and construction in Africa as provided both by the UAE and China. By producing a detailed account of the drivers behind these disputes as well as the broader political outcomes they have generated, this study provides invaluable conceptual and empirical lessons on the contemporary meaning of SSC. In doing so, it helps readers garner a more acute understanding of the role played by Global South states and the private sector…
Africa is the world's most rapidly urbanizing
region. The predominantly rural continent is currently undergoing an “urban
revolution” unlike any other, generally taking place without industrialization
and often characterized by polarization, poverty, and fragmentation. While many
cities have experienced construction booms and real estate speculation, others
are marked by expanding informal economies and imploding infrastructures. The Urban Question in Africa: Uneven Geographies of
Transition examines the imbalanced and contested nature of the
ongoing urban transition of Africa. This unique volume develops an
original theory conceptualizing cities as sociotechnical systems constituted by
production, consumption, and infrastructure regimes. Throughout the book,
in-depth chapters address the impacts of current meta-trends―global
geopolitical shifts, economic changes, the climate crisis, and others―on
Africa's cities and the broader development of the continent.
