Local Powers and a Distant State in Rural Central African Republic

‘The State Stops at PK 12’ – i.e. 12 kilometres from the capital, Bangui. The situation described by this statement, often heard in the Central African Republic, seems to conform to the objectives of the currently fashionable policies of decentralisation and structural adjustment – for example, to e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of modern African studies 1997-09, Vol.35 (3), p.441-468, Article S0022278X97002504
Main Authors: BIERSCHENK, THOMAS, DE SARDAN, JEAN-PIERRE OLIVIER
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African studies
Agricultural management
Central African Republic
Chiefs
Churches
Clans
Cotton
Decentralization
Farmers
Group development
Income taxes
Local Government
Local politics
Mayors
Minority & ethnic groups
Political power
Politics
Population
Power
Psychological counseling
Rural Areas
State
Towns
Villages
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Summary:‘The State Stops at PK 12’ – i.e. 12 kilometres from the capital, Bangui. The situation described by this statement, often heard in the Central African Republic, seems to conform to the objectives of the currently fashionable policies of decentralisation and structural adjustment – for example, to end ‘too much state’. However, the absence of the state in the rural areas of the CAR is so striking that the position in certain respects has almost reached the level of caricature. It also reflects the more general situation in other parts of the continent where the excesses of a centralised, over-staffed post-colonial régime can coexist perfectly with the pronounced absence in the rural areas of certain functions which are commonly supposed to be provided by the state, including basic administration and justice, as well as social, educational, and health services.
ISSN:0022-278X
1469-7777
DOI:10.1017/S0022278X97002504