African Politics: A Very Short Introduction

African Politics: A Very Short IntroductionAfrica is a continent of 54 countries and over a billion people. However, despite the rich diversity of the African experience, it is striking that continuations and themes seem to be reflected across the continent, particularly south of the Sahara. Questions of underdevelopment, outside exploitation, and misrule are characteristic of many if not most states in Sub Saharan Africa. In this Very Short Introduction Ian Taylor explores how politics is

Africa is a continent of 54 countries and over a billion people. However, despite the rich diversity of the African experience, it is striking that continuations and themes seem to be reflected across the continent, particularly south of the Sahara. Questions of underdevelopment, outside exploitation, and misrule are characteristic of many--if not most-states in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In this Very Short Introduction Ian Taylor explores how politics is practiced on the African continent, considering the nature of the state in Sub-Saharan Africa and why its state structures are generally weaker than elsewhere in the world. Exploring the historical and contemporary factors which account for Africa's underdevelopment, he also analyses why some African countries suffer from high levels of political violence while others are spared. Unveiling the ways in which African state and society actually function beyond the formal institutional facade, Taylor discusses how external factors--both inherited and contemporary--act upon the continent.

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Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 12/01/2018
ISBN: 9780198806578
Pages: 168
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 6.80h x 4.40w x 0.30d