ThisisanopenaccesstitleavailableunderthetermsofaCCBY-BC-ND4.0InternationalLicense.ItisfreetoreadatOxfordScholarshipOnlineandofferedasafreePDFdownloadfromOUPandselectedopenaccesslocations.WhydocertainpartsofthestateinAfricaworksoeffectivelydespiteoperatingindifficultgovernancecontexts?Howdo’pocketsofbureaucraticeffectiveness’emergeandbecomesustainedovertime?Andwhatdoesthistellusabouttheprospectsforstate-buildinganddevelopmentinAfrica?Repeatedeconomicandsocialcriseshavedemandedthatdevelopmentthinkersandpolicyactorshavehadtoengagewiththecriticalrolethatstatesplayindeliveringdevelopment.PocketsofEffectivenessandthePoliticsofState-buildingandDevelopmentinAfricashowsthatpoliticsisthedrivingfactorthatshapeshowwellstateagenciesperformtheirroles.Itdeploysanewconceptualframework-thepowerdomainsapproach-toexploretheshiftingfortunesofkeystateagenciesinfivecountries-Ghana,Kenya,Rwanda,Uganda,andZambia-overthepastthreedecades.Ouroriginalresearchrevealswhen,howandwhypoliticalrulersdecidetobuildeffectivestateagenciesandenablethemtodelivercertainformsofeconomicdevelopment-oftenthroughformingstrategiccoalitionswithseniorbureaucratsandwithinternationalsupport-andalsowhenthissupportfaltersandgiveswaytoapoliticsofsurvival.Comparativeanalysisidentifiestwopotentialtrajectoriestowardsstate-buildinginAfrica,eachshapedbydifferentconfigurationsofsocialandpoliticalpower.Thebookcritiquestherolethatinternationaldevelopmentagencieshaveplayedin(mis)shapingthestateinAfricaandsuggestsanewstrategicagendaforbuildingthestatecapacitiesrequiredtodeliversustaineddevelopmentatthecurrentjuncture.Thebookcloseswithcriticalcommentariesfromtwoleadingscholarsinthefield,tohelpplaceourworkincontextandestablishthenextstepsforresearchandstrategyinthisincreasinglyimportantareaofdevelopmenttheoryandpractice.
MIS POCKETS BC DEVELOPMENT STATE Kenya
