African Development: Making Sense of the Issues and Actors

by Todd Moss

Book Overview

Both authoritative and accessible, African Development introduces the issues, actors, and institutions at play in development trajectories across sub-Saharan Africa. This new edition, thoroughly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588264726
• ISBN13: 9781588264725
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers
• Length: 275 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant book

There are some books out there that shake the foundation of your personal knowledge, fill in the gaps and inspire you to become more active, more sensitive about the cultural, political or economic differences, and more informed. This is one of them. Todd Moss writes a book that has been much expected and craved for. It could have been called Africa 101. This is by far the best introduction to African politics and economics. It is a must read for anyone who has an interest in Africa. Without claiming to account for the major problems across the African continent, the book very much does so. It explains in simple terms, with practical examples what are some of the most pressing contradictions in African politics.

Concise and humble

Those interested in development, especially in Africa, will have to wade through decades of trials and errors. Moss brings together the messy business into a concise and frank discussion of where we have been, we were are now, and where we might go. There are two things that set this book apart from other development books. First, it is clean and well written. His decision to leave out footnotes as well as his clear writing style makes the reading a breeze. Second, he is humble. Everyone seems to have their own bright idea. Instead of lecturing us with his he believes is the 'key' he gives the reader a summary of what has been tried so far, and what remain the key problem areas. An excellent read whether or not you have much development background.

Smartest survey book out there

This book sets out to "provide some of the basic information about development in sub-Saharan Africa to smooth the progress of further study." That's exactly what you get: not 'the answers', but an extremely clear, thorough, and sure-handed guide to all the right questions. No better such guide exists. If you're looking for the smart person's entry point, this is it. If you're an experienced researcher or practitioner looking for a framework within which to organize your thoughts, this is it, too. Moss gives concise biographies of the most important postcolonial 'big men', sharp summaries of some of the key events that have shaped the development process across the continent, and painstakingly even-handed but clear-eyed synopses of the different sides of international debates on aid policy, trade, investment, and others. The text always provokes thought but never condescends. The author is a PhD political scientist who used to write for The Economist newspaper, which should tell you that 1) the writing is crisp and exact, and 2) he knows his economics, but 3) is never 'economistic' and has a firm grasp of the political forces that shape Africa's response to outsiders' development efforts. To give you the flavor, here are the "ten tips for sensibly studying African development" whose discussion in Chapter One motivates the survey to follow: "1. There are no panaceas and few quick fixes", "2. Don't believe the (good and bad) hype", "3. Resist the temptation to exoticize", "4. Development is always political", "5. Development is more than money", "6. Be careful with 'facts'", "7. Be skeptical of data", "8. Keep perspective on Africa's size", "9. Get to know some specific countries", "10. Go! [to Africa]".

Essential Primer

I have worked in HIV/AIDS biomedical research and I have recently entered the international development/global health arena. This book is absolutely essential reading to anyone going into this field because one must have a full understanding of the people, organizations, history, and politics at play in African development. Dr. Moss has made an outstanding contribution to improving the welfare of the African continent by educating those of us involved in the effort!!

Excellent introduction

Dr. Moss fills a gap in the literature for an introductory text covering both the politics and economics of Sub-Saharan Africa. The book covers the history of the region since independence, its economic stagnation and the role of local players as well as international trade, aid and finance. It is written in an accessible and engaging style that will appeal not only to those taking introductory courses on Africa, but also anyone interested in learning about development and some of its greatest challenges.