States and Power in Africa by Jeffrey I. Herbst: A Review Essay

2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 510-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Review Essay ◽  
State Failure ◽  
Contract Enforcement ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Defense Contract ◽  
Comparative Institutions

Herbst argues that Africa is plagued by “state failure” to provide certain public goods in society, such as law and order, defense, contract enforcement, and infrastructure. Herbst has provided a bold, historically informed theoretical analysis, essential reading for economists interested in comparative institutions and development.

Public Goods and the Property Tax: A Theoretical Analysis

1976 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarence C. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
Pareto Optimal ◽  
Public Provision

In this paper a property tax model is constructed in which the proceeds of the property tax are used to provide a public good. Generally speaking, it is argued that public provision of public goods will not be Pareto optimal in that public provision will result in the oversupply of public goods.

Rethinking Law and Order. A Rejoinder (Review Essay)

1999 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell Hogg ◽  
David Brown
Keyword(s):  
Review Essay ◽  
Law And Order

scholarly journals A theoretical analysis of altruism and decision error in public goods games

1998 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon P Anderson ◽  
Jacob K Goeree ◽  
Charles A Holt
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Public Goods Games ◽  
Decision Error

Failing states

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Emerson ◽  
Hussein Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
State Failure ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Failing States

States are the only contemporary political organizations that enjoy a unique legal status under international law—sovereignty—and are deemed to possess an exclusive monopoly on the legitimate use of force within their borders. A central feature of the state is to provide for the delivery of public goods (such as security) to its citizenry, and states fail to function as states when they can no longer do this. While the concept of “state failure” or “failing states” is much debated, the consequences of such failure are all too real, especially in Africa. Endemic violence, ethnic and religious tensions, rampant human rights abuses, rising terrorism and crime, along with a lack of legitimacy and political inclusion, as well as an inability to exercise effective control over territory are hallmarks of failing states.

A Sea of Profit

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jatin Dua
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
State Failure ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Order Problem ◽  
Maritime Piracy

From 2007-2012, the waters off the coast of Somalia saw an unprecedented upsurge in incidents of maritime piracy with over 150 ships and 3,000 crewmembers being held hostage. Understood as a legacy of state failure and criminality, maritime piracy has largely been seen as a law and order problem. This chapter reframes piracy outside a narrative of failure— of governance, of states, and of other international institutions. By emphasizing the centrality of capture—and notions of bounty, payment, and redistribution nested within it—this chapter illuminates shifts in relationships of property and profit across scale and time and suggests that understanding the transformation of fishermen into pirates requires an exploration of the long and complex interplay between sea and land and between fishing and pastoralism in Somalia and the Western Indian Ocean.

scholarly journals Institution Formation in Public Goods Games

2009 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 1335-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kosfeld ◽  
Akira Okada ◽  
Arno Riedl
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Formation Process ◽  
Social Dilemma ◽  
Public Goods Provision ◽  
Public Goods Games ◽  
Institution Formation ◽  
Group Welfare ◽  
Endogenous Formation

Sanctioning institutions are of utmost importance for overcoming free-riding tendencies and enforcing outcomes that maximize group welfare in social dilemma situations. We investigate, theoretically and experimentally, the endogenous formation of institutions in public goods provision. Our theoretical analysis shows that players may form sanctioning institutions in equilibrium, including those governing only a subset of players. The experiment confirms that institutions are formed and that it positively affects cooperation and group welfare. However, the data also shows that success is not guaranteed. Players are unwilling to implement equilibrium institutions in which some players have the opportunity to free ride. Our results emphasize the role of fairness in the institution formation process. (JEL C72, D02, H41)

Foreign Aid and Statehood in Africa

2001 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur A. Goldsmith
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Foreign Aid ◽  
Economic Freedom ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Foreign Assistance ◽  
State Failure ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Two Measures

Has foreign aid destroyed state institutions in Africa? African states depend on development assistance to conduct basic government operations, yet few of these states are well governed or effective at providing public goods. The two trends, mounting foreign aid and static or diminishing state performance, raise an obvious question: Is aid dependency contributing to misrule and state failure in Africa? Many critics argue the two phenomena are related. I find they are not. My analysis fails to show a negative association between aid receipts and two measures of democracy and economic freedom. Instead, the evidence is consistent with a small, positive relationship between aid and these indicators of state performance. Since the international community seems bent on reducing foreign aid, an important issue is how African states can maintain and improve their performance with less foreign assistance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document