Business, Politics and the State in Africa Challenging the Orthodoxies on Growth and Transformation

In recent years Africa appears to have turned a corner economically. It is posting increased growth rates and is no longer the world's slowest growing region. This book goes behind the headlines to examine the conditions necessary not just for growth in Africa but for a wider business and economic transformation. Contrary to neo-liberal economics, it argues that governments can play an important role in this through selective interventions to correct market failures, and, controversially, that "neo-patrimonial" governance need not necessarily be an obstacle to improved business and economic conditions. Drawing on a variety of timely case studies - including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana - this provocative book provides a radical new theory of the political and institutional conditions required for pro-poor growth in Africa.

Tim Kelsall is currently living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, working freelance as an Associate of the Africa, Power and Politics Programme, and as a Resource Person for the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research.

Acknowledgements * Introduction: understanding investment and growth in developing countries * 1. Politics, business, and development in Asia and Africa * 2. Ethiopia: rent-seekers and productive capitalists * 3. Rwanda: the party leads, the market follows * 4. Tanzania: growth without poverty reduction * 5. Ghana: a star but static performer * Conclusion: rethinking business and politics in Africa * References