IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/bwp/bwppap/esid-117-19.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The politics of state capacity and development in Africa - Reframing and researching ‘pockets of effectiveness’

Author

Listed:
  • Sam Hickey

Abstract

The role of bureaucratic ‘pockets of effectiveness’ (PoEs) in driving development is generating renewed interest within development studies and, to an extent, development policy. Existing research on PoEs emphasises that politics plays a leading role in shaping the emergence and sustainability of high-performing public sector organisations. However, the field as yet lacks a clear sense of the conditions under which this happens. This paper sets out the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of a new project that seeks to address this problem within the context of sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on an alignment of political settlements analysis with critical theories of state power and African politics, the paper argues that PoEs are both shaped by, and help to reproduce, particular forms of politics and institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. This means that PoEs can reveal a good deal about how the competing logics of regime survival, state-building and democratisation are playing out in Africa, and the implications for development. The paper proposes a methodological approach for identifying and exploring PoEs and summarises the results of expert surveys undertaken in Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. These surveys resulted in our project focusing mainly on the economic technocracy as the key domain within which PoEs have flourished, particularly in terms of ministries of finance, central banks and revenue authorities, along with some other interesting outliers and underlying processes of state-building. Further papers from this project will include in-depth case studies of these specific PoEs and processes in each country, synthesised country analyses and comparative overviews.

Suggested Citation

  • Sam Hickey, 2019. "The politics of state capacity and development in Africa - Reframing and researching ‘pockets of effectiveness’," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-117-19, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    • Handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:esid-117-19
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.effective-states.org/wp-content/uploads/working_papers/final-pdfs/esid_wp_117_hickey_POE.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Berdegué, Julio A. & Bebbington, Anthony & Escobal, Javier, 2015. "Conceptualizing Spatial Diversity in Latin American Rural Development: Structures, Institutions, and Coalitions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-10.
    2. Brian Levy & Michael Walton, 2013. "Institutions, incentives and service provision: Bringing politics back in," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-018-13, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    3. Levy, Brian, 2014. "Working with the Grain: Integrating Governance and Growth in Development Strategies," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199363810.
    4. De Herdt, Tom & Olivier de Sardan, Jean-Pierre, 2015. "Real governance and practical norms in Sub-Saharan Africa: the game of the rules," IOB Analyses & Policy Briefs 15, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    5. Grindle, Merilee S., 1997. "Divergent cultures? When public organizations perform well in developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 481-495, January.
    6. Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2004. "Solutions When the Solution is the Problem: Arraying the Disarray in Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 191-212, February.
    7. Andrews, Matt & Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2017. "Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198747482.
    8. Sjors Overman & Sandra van Thiel, 2016. "Agencification and Public Sector Performance: A systematic comparison in 20 countries," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 611-635, April.
    9. Mkandawire, Thandika, 2013. "Neopatrimonialism and the political economy of Economic Permormance in Africa: Critical Reflections," Arbetsrapport 2013:1, Institute for Futures Studies.
    10. Moore, Mick, 2014. "Revenue Reform and Statebuilding in Anglophone Africa," Working Papers 13712, Institute of Development Studies, International Centre for Tax and Development.
    11. North,Douglass C. & Wallis,John Joseph & Webb,Steven B. & Weingast,Barry R. (ed.), 2013. "In the Shadow of Violence," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107014213.
    12. Lindsay Whitfield & Lars Buur, 2014. "The politics of industrial policy: ruling elites and their alliances," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 126-144, January.
    13. Mark Blyth & Matthias Matthijs, 2017. "Black Swans, Lame Ducks, and the mystery of IPE's missing macroeconomy," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 203-231, March.
    14. Moore, Mick, 2014. "Revenue Reform and Statebuilding in Anglophone Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 99-112.
    15. Gore, Charles, 2000. "The Rise and Fall of the Washington Consensus as a Paradigm for Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 789-804, May.
    16. Moore, Mick, 2014. "Revenue Reform and Statebuilding in Anglophone Africa," Working Papers 11259, Institute of Development Studies, International Centre for Tax and Development.
    17. Whitfield,Lindsay & Therkildsen,Ole & Buur,Lars & Kjær,Anne Mette, 2015. "The Politics of African Industrial Policy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107105317.
    18. Berdegué, Julio A. & Escobal, Javier & Bebbington, Anthony, 2015. "Explaining Spatial Diversity in Latin American Rural Development: Structures, Institutions, and Coalitions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 129-137.
    19. Doug Porter & Michael Watts, 2017. "Righting the Resource Curse: Institutional Politics and State Capabilities in Edo State, Nigeria," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(2), pages 249-263, February.
    20. Brautigam,Deborah & Fjeldstad,Odd-Helge & Moore,Mick (ed.), 2008. "Taxation and State-Building in Developing Countries," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521716192.
    21. Tom Lavers, 2018. "Taking ideas seriously within political settlements analysis," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-095-18, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    22. Evans, Peter, 1996. "Introduction: Development strategies across the public-private divide," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1-1, June.
    23. Brautigam,Deborah & Fjeldstad,Odd-Helge & Moore,Mick (ed.), 2008. "Taxation and State-Building in Developing Countries," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521888158.
    24. North,Douglass C. & Wallis,John Joseph & Webb,Steven B. & Weingast,Barry R. (ed.), 2013. "In the Shadow of Violence," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107684911.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bukenya, Badru & Golooba-Mutebi, Frederick, 2020. "What explains sub-national variation in maternal mortality rates within developing countries? A political economy explanation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    2. Singh, Mudit Kumar, 2023. "What is state capacity and how does it matter for energy transition?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Sameen A. Mohsin Ali, 2022. "Networks of Effectiveness? The Impact of Politicization on Bureaucratic Performance in Pakistan," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(2), pages 733-753, April.
    4. Benjamin Chemouni, 2019. "The rise of the economic technocracy in Rwanda - A case of a bureaucratic pocket of effectiveness or state-building prioritisation?," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-120-19, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    5. Calabrese, Linda & Wang, Yuan, 2023. "Chinese capital, regulatory strength and the BRI: A tale of ‘fractured development’ in Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    6. Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai & Giles Mohan, 2019. "The politics of bureaucratic ‘pockets of effectiveness’ - Insights from Ghana’s Ministry of Finance," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-119-19, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    7. Adebayo, Eric & Lashitew, Addisu A. & Werker, Eric, 2021. "Is conventional wisdom about resource taxation correct? Mining evidence from transparency reporting," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Oliver Morrissey & Christian Von Haldenwang & Armin Von Schiller & Maksym Ivanyna & Ingo Bordon, 2016. "Tax Revenue Performance and Vulnerability in Developing Countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(12), pages 1689-1703, December.
    2. Robert Cameron & Brian Levy, 2016. "The potential and limits of performance management: Improving basic education in the Western Cape," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-062-16, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    3. Travers Barclay Child & Elena Nikolova, 2017. "War and Social Attitudes: Revisiting Consensus Views," HiCN Working Papers 258, Households in Conflict Network.
    4. Christian Ebeke & M Mansour & Grégoire Rota-Graziosi, 2016. "The Power to Tax in Sub-Saharan Africa: LTUs, VATs, and SARAs," Working Papers halshs-01332049, HAL.
    5. Anthony Bebbington & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai & Marja Hinfelaar & Denise Humphreys Bebbington & Cynthia Sanborn, 2017. "Political settlements and the governance of extractive industry: A comparative analysis of the longue duree in Africa and Latin America," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-081-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    6. Pallavi Roy & Mushtaq H. Khan, 2021. "Digitizing Taxation and Premature Formalization in Developing Countries," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 52(4), pages 855-877, July.
    7. Ursula Hoadley & Brian Levy & Lawule Shumane & Shelly Wilburn, 2016. "Leadership, stakeholders and learner performance in four Western Cape schools," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-061-16, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Hassan, Mirza & Prichard, Wilson, 2016. "The Political Economy of Domestic Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform," Working Papers 13681, Institute of Development Studies, International Centre for Tax and Development.
    9. Gabriella Y. Carolini, 2021. "Aid’s urban footprint and its implications for local inequality and governance," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(2), pages 389-409, March.
    10. Björn Jahnke, 2017. "How does petty corruption affect tax morale in sub-Saharan Africa? An empirical analysis," WIDER Working Paper Series 008, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Hakiman, Kamran & Sheely, Ryan, 2023. "Unlocking the Potential of Participatory Planning: How Flexible and Adaptive Governance Interventions Can Work in Practice," OSF Preprints kucjs, Center for Open Science.
    12. Daniel Appiah & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, 2017. "Competitive clientelism and the politics of core public sector reform in Ghana," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-082-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    13. Abrams M.E. Tagem, 2017. "The economics and politics of foreign aid and domestic revenue," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-180, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Lawson, Andrew & Harris, Jamelia, 2023. "Is the problem driven iterative adaptation approach (PDIA) a panacea for public financial management reform? Evidence from six African countries," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    15. repec:ilo:ilowps:487627 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Ane Karoline Bak & Matilde Jeppesen & Anne Mette Kjær, 2021. "Fiscal states in sub-Saharan Africa: conceptualization and empirical trends," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-182, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    17. Simplice A. Asongu & Jacinta C. Nwachukwu, 2016. "Foreign aid and governance in Africa," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 69-88, January.
    18. Albers, Thilo N.H. & Jerven, Morten & Suesse, Marvin, 2023. "The Fiscal State in Africa: Evidence from a Century of Growth," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(1), pages 65-101, January.
    19. Abrams M.E. Tagem, 2017. "The economics and politics of foreign aid and domestic revenue," WIDER Working Paper Series 180, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Brian Levy & Alan Hirsch & Ingrid Woolard, 2015. "Governance and inequality: Benchmarking and interpreting South Africa’s evolving political settlement," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-051-15, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    21. Urbain T. Yogo & Martine M. Ngo Njib, 2018. "Political Competition and Tax Revenues in Developing Countries," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(2), pages 302-322, March.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:esid-117-19. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Rowena Harding (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/wpmanuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.