colonialism -- Big men, personal rule and patronage politics -- Violent conflict and civil war -- Political change and … -- Regional institutions and NEPAD -- Africa and world trade -- Private investment and the business environment -- Conclusion …

Preface -- Understanding underdevelopment -- The explosion of third world democracy -- Religion and politics -- The … politics of cultural pluralism and ethnic conflict -- Women and development -- The politics of the rural and urban poor …

-- Big men, personal rule, and patronage politics -- Violent conflict and civil war -- Political change and democratization … -- The African Union and regional institutions -- Africa and world trade -- Private investment and the business environment …