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When Things Fell Apart

State Failure in Late-Century Africa

Robert H Bates author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:18th Feb '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

When Things Fell Apart cover

Robert H. Bates addresses the origins of state failure in late twentieth-century Africa.

In When Things Fell Apart, Robert H. Bates addresses the origins of state failure in Africa in the late decades of the twentieth century. Bates plumbs the depths of the continent's late-century tragedy, the logic of political order, and the foundations of the state for explanations for these tragedies.In the later decades of the twentieth century, Africa plunged into political chaos. States failed, governments became predators, and citizens took up arms. In When Things Fell Apart, Robert H. Bates advances an exploration of state failure in Africa. In so doing, he not only plumbs the depths of the continent's late-century tragedy, but also the logic of political order and the foundations of the state. This book covers a wide range of territory by drawing on materials from Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, and Congo. A must-read for scholars and policy makers concerned with political conflict and state failure.

'Bates' book rightly reminds us that political order is problematic … The book also contains a strong argument for the central role of the state for economic development.' Africa Spectrum
'An old hand in US political science on Africa with a university career which stretches over more than 40 years, Bates combines some of the most attractive, but also some of the more problematic traditions of his trade.' Comparativ

ISBN: 9780521887359

Dimensions: 216mm x 140mm x 16mm

Weight: 430g

218 pages