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 Periodical article |
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| Title: | The institution building view of the African development dilemma |
| Author: | Munishi, G.K. |
| Year: | 1988 |
| Periodical: | The African Review: A Journal of African Politics, Development and International Affairs |
| Volume: | 15 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Pages: | 44-55 |
| Language: | English |
| Notes: | biblio. refs., ills. |
| Geographic term: | Africa |
| Subjects: | development political systems Economics, Commerce developing countries Institution building Development theory |
| Abstract: | One approach to explaining the failure of African States to foster significant socioeconomic transformation attributes the current state of underdevelopment mostly to the malfunctioning of State institutions, the mismanagement of scarce resources, and the uncoordinated efforts of various development related organizations. Government responses have been the creation and reform of existing organizations, decentralization programmes, and integrated rural development programmes. However, such institutional reforms have usually failed to identify the problem correctly and have assumed that once the organizations are created or reformed, then the processes to implement popular development programmes will naturally follow. This fails to take into account the nature and character of the African State. The author argues that African States are not social institutions and that they can hardly champion popular development. Secondly, administrative reforms have tended to kill off genuine social institutions and uproot local government and popular power. Thirdly, policies such as decentralization have been construed as a means of distributing rather than producing wealth, creating a dependency mentality on the part of the general population. Finally, participation programmes have tended to be a major means of political mobilization in which a people are manipulated to imagine that they have a stake and a say in the government. In conclusion, the author maps out a contextual framework of alternative development paths for further research. Bibliogr., notes, ref. |
