Contending Issues in African Development: Advances, Challenges, and the Future

by Obioma M. Iheduru

Overview

Taking a forward-looking approach, this book critically examines the issues and dynamics central to Africa's problematic development and situates these issues within the contents unique cultural, political, economic, and social milieu. Moving away from a simple litany of problems bedeviling Africa's economy, the book is the culmination of several scholars' efforts to identify specific causative factors. Each chapter delineates a specific issue, demonstrates the role it plays in overall development, and speculates on probable ways to meet the challenges it poses. The major conceptual and epistemological constructs considered include the tamed African State, social capacity, management of change, reconceptualized gender roles, and economic integration.

Although the contributors' various approaches diverge and disagree, the epistemological variations contribute cumulatively to an understanding of the issues at the root of Africa's slow pace of development. While traversing the spectrum of issues that affect development, the book uniquely points out that the management of change is pivotal to fostering development. The authors' efforts provide a useful base for future research and help to chart a course of action leading to success in the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313309618
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/28/2001
Series:	Contributions in Economics and Economic History , #219
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)
Lexile:	1470L (what's this?)

About the Author

OBIOMA M. IHEDURU is Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-director of the Center for Social Science Research at Fort Valley State University./e He is the author of The Politics of Economic Restructuring and Democracy in Africa (Greenwood, 1999).

Table of Contents

Introduction
Conflicts and Convergence in African Development Thinking by Obioma M. Iheduru
Bring Back the State: From Instability to Consolidation
The Political Economy of State Reconstitution in Africa by Kelechi A. Kalu
The Mass Media and Political Stability in Africa: A Utilitarian Theory Approach by Kingsley O. Harbor
Africa Between the Meiji Restoration and the Legacy of Ataturk: Comparative Dilemmas of Modernization by Ali A. Mazrui
Building Social Capacity: Civil Society, Democratization, and Human Rights
Civil Society and Sustainable Development in Eastern and Southern Africa by Julius E. Nyangóro
The State and Human Rights in Africa by Julius O. Ihonvbere
Democratization In Sub Saharan Africa: Problems, Advances, and Prospects by Harold A. Fisher
Prolegomena to an African-Western Ethics and Theory of Rights by Vincent J. Ferrara
Political Economy and the Management of Change
Towards Democracy and Security in Africa: What Prospects for Sustainable Development of Civil Societies by Timothy M. Shaw and Sandra J. MacClean
Nigeria: The Dynamics of Agricultural Policy in a Restructuring Economy by Browne Onuoha
Women and Sustainable Development in Africa by April A. Gordon
Regional Integration and Sustainable Development
Evaluation of the Present State of Economic Integration in Africa: How to Strengthen the African Economic Community by Aguibou Yansane Aguibou
West African Regionalism Revisited: Cooperative management of the Gambia and Senegal Water Resources by Nurudeen B. Akinyemi
The Politics of Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Issues, Limitations, and Prospects by Aja Akpuru-Aja
Conclusion
Redefining the African State: Political Capacity in the Post Reform Era by Obioma M. Iheduru
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Iheduru (political science, Fort Valley State U., Georgia) presents 15 contributions from a variety of social science disciplines that examine the unique environmental, cultural, political, and economic issues that undergird and determine the direction of African development. Each chapter attempts to deal with specific issue areas and to determine to role of that issue area in the overall development process. Among the topics explored are the role of the African state in managing resources, the role of civil societies in the development of democracy and democratic institutions, a comparative analysis of human rights in the African and Western senses, the impact of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) on the African economy, the role of women in African development, and the possible benefits of regional integration proposals. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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