Markets and States in Tropical Africa

Following independence, most countries in Africa sought to develop, but their governments pursued policies that actually undermined their rural economies. Examining the origins of Africa’s “growth tragedy,” Markets and States in Tropical Africa has for decades shaped the thinking of practitioners and scholars alike. Robert H. Bates’s analysis now faces a challenge, however: the revival of economic growth on the continent. In this edition, Bates provides a new preface and chapter that address the seeds of Africa’s recovery and discuss the significance of the continent’s success for the arguments of this classic work.

Robert H. Bates is the Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University, where he has studied and provided consulting assistance in the areas of governmental reform, economic policy reform, and political economy for many countries throughout the world. He is the author of several books, including Open-Economy Politics (1998).

Preface to the 2014 Edition, ix
Preface to the 2005 Edition, xi
Acknowledgments, xvii
Introduction, 1

Part I. Government Interventions in Major Markets
1. Policies Toward Cash Crops for Export, 11
2. The Food Sector: The Political Dynamics of Pricing
Policies, 30
3. The Food Sector: The Use of Nonprice Strategies, 45
4. The Emerging Industrial Sector, 62

Part II. Interpretation
5. The Market as Political Arena and the Limits of
Voluntarism, 81
6. Rental Havens and Protective Shelters: Organizing Support
Among the Urban Beneficiaries, 96
7. The Origins of Political Marginalism: Evoking Compliance
From the Countryside, 106
8. Commonalities and Variations: The Politics of Agricultural
Policy, 119
9. Political Reform and Economic Development, 129

Appendix A: Interrelations Between Food Supply, Demand,
and Prices, 149
Appendix B: Value Received by Farmers for Export Crops, 152
Bibliography, 163
Index, 185