Abstract:
State construction is messy and complex, brimming with contradictions, fraught
with conflict and unpredictability. This article identifies a few hurdles likely to be
encountered in the simultaneous making and walking of this road. In order to do
so, it examines the structure and behaviour of the state, the concept of political
settlements, and the “good governance” agenda. The article outlines some
implications for public policy that relate to issues of governance, and explores the
possibility of working with clientelism and patronage as enablers and contributors
to growth, rather than seeing them as pathologies that need to be “corrected” by
administrative reforms. Successful delivery of socially inclusive and empowering
developmental programmes and projects in the proposed framework hinges on the
comprehension and negotiation of social change and transformation in novel and
realistic ways.
