There is a general consensus in the scholarly literature that the post-colonial state in Africa has failed. Some states (Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia) have collapsed. Various arguments have been proffered to explain this dynamics of African state failure and collapse. However, the literature on state reconstitution is inchoate and minimal. This edited volume focuses on prescriptions for reconstituting the post-colonial state in Africa. Essays on nine African states (Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, and Uganda) are preceded by an introduction to the political economy of the African state.

Contributions by: Pita Ogaba Agbese, Hashim Gibrill, Alice Hashim, Toure Kazah-Toure, George Klay Kieh Jr., Kidane Mengisteab, Godwin Murunga, Musifiky Mwanasali, Leonce Ndikumana, Paul Omach, Owen Sichone