State–society relations in a dynamic framework: The case of the Far East and Sub-Saharan Africa (original) (raw)

According to the textbook approach, the developmental states of the Far East have been considered as strong and autonomous entities. Although their bureaucratic elites have remained isolated from direct pressures stemming from society, the state capacity has also been utilised in order to allocate resources in the interest of the whole society. Yet, societyby and large -has remained weak and subordinated to the state elite. On the other hand, the general perception of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been just the opposite. The violent and permanent conflict amongst rent-seeking groups for influence and authority over resources has culminated in a situation where states have become extremely weak and fragmented, while society -depending on the capacity of competing groups for mobilising resources to organise themselves mostly on a regional or local level (resulting in local petty kingdoms)has never had the chance to evolve as a strong player. State failure in the literature, therefore, -in the context of SSA -refers not just to a weak and captured state but also to a nonfunctioning, and sometimes even non-existent society, too.

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