The State They're in: An Agenda for International Action on Poverty in Africa (Viewpoints) [Paperback]

This is an important book...Everybody who is interested in the future of Africa should read it --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'This is an important book...Everybody who is interested in the future of Africa should read it.' Larry Elliott, Guardian '..a real tour de force. It's a punchy and very intelligent read, covering everything the campaigner and engaged citizen needs to understand about the African poverty agenda in 2005.' David Booth, Overseas Development Institute '..this extraordinarily rich and valuable book...[is] essential reading for anyone interested in Africa's future.' Duncan Green, Head of Research, OXFAM 'A thought-provoking thesis...Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the deep-rooted difficulties in tackling global poverty.' Shriti Vadera, Adviser to the Chancellor, HM Treasury --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A thought-provoking thesis...Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the deep-rooted difficulties in tackling global poverty --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Refreshingly acute...A "must-read" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Two years on from the Gleneagles G8: What has been achieved? What has changed? In July 2005 the first edition of Matthew Lockwood's The State They're In asked the key questions of the moment: What are the roots of poverty in Africa and what should now be done about it? How can a better understanding of African politics contribute to an entirely new policy agenda for aid, trade, and debt? This new edition continues to investigate these issues, now placing the arguments in the context of the Make Poverty History campaign of 2005, and the outcomes of the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July 2005 and the WTO summit in Hong Kong in December 2005. It broadens the scope of the first edition to address the American approach to aid and the new 'transformational diplomacy' agenda. Finally, with 'governance' now centre stage of policy debates on Africa, this edition clarifies how the arguments in the book differ from the standard approaches to governance, and why those approaches will not work. Lockwood draws on a substantial body of research to argue that much thinking on Africa - from both official donors and from international NGOs alike - is flawed, because that thinking either does not recognize or does not draw out the implications of the central role of politics and the state in Africa's development problems. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Africa in 2005: The Long View 3. The Truth About Trade 4. Aid, Debt Relief, and Conditionality 5. The Limits of Governance 6. Politics in Africa 7. The State They're In 8. Are Developmental States Now Emerging in Africa 9. What will a developmental state in Africa look like? 10. Towards Developmental States in Africa - What International Agenda for Africa?

What are the roots of poverty in Africa and what should now be done about it? How can a better understanding of African politics bring about an entirely new policy agenda for aid, trade, and debt?

Matthew Lockwood draws on a substantial body of research to argue that much thinking on Africa – from both official donors and from international NGOs alike – is flawed, because that thinking either does not recognise or does not draw out the implications of the central role of politics and the state in Africa’s development problems.

In almost all African countries the political elites are uninterested in leading a development process. Western donor countries and institutions have largely turned a blind eye to this situation, and indeed aid has become an important resource in maintaining anti-developmental states. By contrast, in almost all other successful development episodes – such as in East Asia - the state has played a key role. Anti-developmental politics remains a problem even in countries that are seen as "good performers".

The analysis leads to a different policy agenda for aid, trade, debt and corruption, and also a different campaigning agenda for NGOs: agendas that have a focus on support for the emergence of a new kind of politics in Africa.

‘This is an important book…Everybody who is interested in the future of Africa should read it.’ Larry Elliott, Guardian

‘..a real tour de force. It’s a punchy and very intelligent read, covering everything the campaigner and engaged citizen needs to understand about the African poverty agenda in 2005.’ David Booth, Overseas Development Institute

‘..this extraordinarily rich and valuable book…[is] essential reading for anyone interested in Africa’s future.’ Duncan Green, Head of Research, OXFAM

‘A thought-provoking thesis…Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the deep-rooted difficulties in tackling global poverty.’ Shriti Vadera, Adviser to the Chancellor, HM Treasury

The Viewpoints series presents research and opinion from authors who seek to influence contemporary debates on policy and practice in international development. Aimed at the concerned general reader as well as the specialist, these books offer the most up-to-date analysis available, in an accessible and affordable format. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Matthew Lockwood is a consultant with twenty years' experience of working in and visiting Africa. Since the late 1990s he has worked in several senior policy and campaigning positions in major UK Development NGOs and for many years has undertaken extensive research in, and lectured on, sociology and development issues with specific reference to Africa.