African Conflicts and Informal Power: Big Men and Networks (Africa Now) - Softcover

Book 5 of 24: Africa Now

Mats Utas

 
9781848138827: African Conflicts and Informal Power: Big Men and Networks (Africa Now)

Synopsis

In the aftermath of an armed conflict in Africa, the international community both produces and demands from local partners a variety of blueprints for reconstructing state and society. The aim is to re-formalize the state after what is viewed as a period of fragmentation. In reality, African economies and polities are very much informal in character, with informal actors, including so-called Big Men, often using their positions in the formal structure as a means to reach their own goals. ----- Through a variety of in-depth case studies, including the DRC, Sierra Leone and Liberia, African Conflicts and Informal Power shows how important informal political and economic networks are in many of the continent s conflict areas. Moreover, it demonstrates that without a proper understanding of the impact of these networks, attempts to formalize African states, particularly those emerging from wars, will be in vain.

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About the Author

Mats Utas is senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden.

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Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781848138834: African Conflicts and Informal Power: Big Men and Networks (Africa Now)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1848138830 ISBN 13:  9781848138834
Publisher: Zed Books, 2012
Hardcover