Politics, Academics, and Africa

The roots of my fascination with politics and Africa run deep; so too does my need for clarity. The combination drove me into the professoriate. My research in Africa convinced me that modernization theory was wrong: The people I came to know in the field were sophisticated in their politics. Additi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of political science 2017-05, Vol.20 (1), p.1-14
Main Author: Bates, Robert H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic disciplines
Academic staff
African Economic Research Consortium
autobiography
International Coffee Organization
Kenya
Modernization
Political economy
Politics
Productivity
State intervention
study of violence
Welfare
Zambia
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Summary:The roots of my fascination with politics and Africa run deep; so too does my need for clarity. The combination drove me into the professoriate. My research in Africa convinced me that modernization theory was wrong: The people I came to know in the field were sophisticated in their politics. Additional research convinced me that market-oriented approaches to political economy were wrong and that government intervention could lead to increases in productivity and welfare. Because neoclassical approaches are flexible, I continue to think in terms of strategy and choice and to apply them to the study of development.
ISSN:1094-2939
1545-1577
DOI:10.1146/annurev-polisci-030716-095605