This text provides an account of the dynamic interplay between the political and economic forces that have shaped government priorities and strategies in Africa's most populous country. The author examines efforts to build a stronger federal centre, to develop national policies, to counter uneven development, and to reduce conflicts that have arisen from ethnic, regional, class and religious differences. A final section analyzes the evolution of economic policy and performance, looking specifically at agrarian policy, the programme of economic liberalization, and the impact of oil revenues.

This is a critical comparative analysis of the origin, nature, problems and prospects of steel development and industrialisation in Nigeria and South Korea. Focusing on the steel sector, this ground-breaking book examines the interplay among the state, local capital, transnational corporations, the World Bank and IMF. The book examines how all these factors have come to shape the content and direction of steel development in these two countries.

First Published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Considers the challenges that Nigeria's leadership now faces, offering rich-and-sobering-analyses of the current political and economic systems.

Politics, Economy, and Society in Twentieth-Century Nigeria, by Ayodeji Olukoju and Tokunbo A. Ayoola, examines key social, political, and economic issues in Nigeria since the colonial period. This book brings together writings on colonial, postcolonial, and contemporary history of Nigeria that provide a panoramic view of diversity, bridge gaps in Nigerian history, and engage with pioneering scholarship in railway and social history in Nigeria by James Olawale Oyemakinde. Some of the themes and perspectives discussed throughout this collection include: contemporary challenges of poverty, unemployment, leadership and governance deficit, entrepreneurship, urbanization, and the underdevelopment of the agricultural and transport systems. Politics, Economy, and Society in Twentieth-Century Nigeria demonstrates that understanding the past helps to develop appropriate policies for contemporary challenges. As highlighted in this volume, it is important to appreciate the significance of context in historical explanation and in the application and adaptation of ideas across space and time.

This book examines the ways in which colonialism continues to define the political economy of Nigeria sixty years after gaining political independence from the British. It also establishes a link between colonialism and the continued agitation for restructuring the political arrangement of the country. The contributions offer various perspectives on how the forceful amalgamation of disparate units and diverse nationalities have undermined the realization of the development potential of Nigeria. The book is divided into two parts. The first part interrogates the political economy of colonialism and the implications of this on economic development in contemporary Nigeria. The second part examines nation-building, governance, and development in a postcolonial state. The failure of the postcolonial political elites to ensure inclusive governance has continued to foster centrifugal and centripetal forces that question the legitimacy of the state. The forces have deepened calls for secession, accentuated conflicts and predispose the country to possible disintegration. A new government approach is required that would ensure equal representation, access to power and equitable distribution of resources.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1998. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived

The relationship between natural capital and economic growth is an open debate in the field of economic development. Is an abundance of natural resources a blessing or a curse for economic performance? The field of Economic History offers an excellent vantage to explore the relevance of institutions, technical progress and supply-demand drivers. Natural Resources and Economic Growth contains theoretical and empirical articles by leading scholars who have studied this subject in different historical periods from the 19th century to the present day and in different parts of the world. Part I presents the theoretical issues and discusses the meaning of the "curse" and the relevance of the historical perspective. Part II captures the diversity of experiences, presenting thirteen independent case studies based on historical results from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe. This book emphasizes that an abundance of natural resources is not a fixed situation. It is a process that reacts to changes in the structure of commodity prices and factor endowments, and progress requires capital, labour, technical change and appropriate institutional arrangements. This abundance is not a given, but is part of the evolution of the economic system. History shows that institutional quality is the key factor to deal with abundant natural resources and, especially, with the rents derived from their use and exploitation. This wide ranging volume will be of great relevance to all those with an interest in economic history, development, economic growth, natural resources, world history and institutional economics.

Volume 2 of an analysis of the economic development of Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960-2000.

This book explores the issues and challenges of gender and development in Africa. The current needs of women in Africa are connected with the possible future emancipation of women from institutions and processes that perpetuate poverty to overcome gendered development processes and patriarchal economic policies at work. The role of legal, political, cultural, religious, and economic institutions in development are examined to highlight marginalisation within uneven development processes embedded with capitalism. Broader development issues, such as property rights, food security, accessibility of resources, and environmental change, are also discussed. This book aims to reimagine African development from an issue-based perspective that moves beyond gender stereotypes and narrow silo of patriarchal development. The volume is relevant to students and researchers interested in the political economy, development and feminist economics.