Introduction

Images of Africa in the West have depicted the continent in the throes of great political instability and economic stagnation or decline. A corrupt and authoritarian leadership, personal rule, ineffective government, poor policies, and unproductive patterns of accumulation are variously held to blame. State institutions and the exercise of state power are important for a number of reasons. First, there is the general role of the state in providing the conditions for capitalist development through the rule of law and protection of property relations. Beyond that, the state intervenes to regulate and manage the economy. Patron-client ties provide much of the social fabric for informal and party politics in Nigeria. Patronage flows along personal networks based on kinship, marriage, community, ethnic associations, old school ties, social clubs, and religious affiliations. The colonial trade economy experienced a rapid expansion of peasant commodity production. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.