ABSTRACT
The essentially political nature of the post-colonial state derives from the different interests, influences and dynamics at work in constituting the post-colonial state. The state itself has been forced to build its legitimacy in the face of customary governance practices seeking rehabilitation and decolonization in the midst of strife and even civil wars. The chapter outlines in particular four such influences – customary forms of governance, incumbent bureaucracy, nation-building and the rise of neoliberal ideology. The bureaucratic structures were elaborated according to the perceived importance of the colony in the empire. Transfer of power at the dawn of independence meant transferring this bureaucracy and civil-police structure into native control. The structure of the new international economic regime also provides space for rent-seeking behaviours of elites within some post-colonial states, undermining the possibility for accountability of leaders to their populations. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
