ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that state decay in Africa, rather than being primarily an outgrowth of traditional or clientelistic relations must be situated in the context of structural adjustment and the round of global economic restructuring. State decay is primarily a symptom and only secondarily a reinforcing cause, of Africa's economic crisis. An expenditure switching through trade liberalization and currency devaluation exposes African economies more completely to the forces of globalization. The underdevelopment of domestic capital is largely a result of Africa's colonial legacy and the fact that at independence the post-colonial state assumed the previous role of merchant capital, appropriating surpluses for both investment and distribution. Africa's position in the international political economy mirrors that of the informal sector internally. Given the extent of the internationalization of the state, it is local communities, which must assert control of their own development along the lines suggested by Shuman.
