Sam Hickey is Professor of Politics and Development at the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester. As Research Director of the Effective States and Inclusive Development (ESID) research centre (2011-2020), he worked with many colleagues on the links between politics and development, with particular reference to state capacity, natural resource governance, social protection, education, and gender equity. He is currently Deputy CEO for the African Cities Research Consortium at the University of Manchester and President of the Development Studies Association (2020-2023). Kunal Sen is the Director of UNU-WIDER, and Professor of Development Economics at the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester. He is a leading international expert on the political economy of growth and development. He has performed extensive research on international finance, the political economy determinants of inclusive growth, the dynamics of poverty, social exclusion, female labour force participation, and the informal sector in developing economies. His research has focused on India, East Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. He has been the Joint Research Director of the Effective States and Inclusive Development (ESID) research centre, and a Research Fellow at IZA.
Pathways to Development reveals an insightful response to a critical question: Why do some countries make choices that lead to economic and social development while others fall behind time and again? Challenging current responses emphasizing the role of institutions and democratic governance, Hickey, Sen, and their colleagues demonstrate convincingly that the nature of elite coalitions, and the ideas they embrace, condition development outcomes. In this incisive study of how several African countries have chosen to exploit their natural resources, deliver social services, and build state capacity, these scholars explain how the politics of elite bargains contribute to or diminish development potential. * Merilee S. Grindle, Edward S. Mason Professor of International Development, emerita Harvard Kennedy School * What explains differences in performance among states in the developing world? This landmark volume contains the best synthesis yet of what rigorous social science - as opposed to amateur speculation and academic dogma - has to say on this important perennial question. The answer turns out to be complicated but, in Hickey and Sen's lucid treatment, not at all obscure. Action-oriented professionals who have been demanding usable guidance on the subject should not be disappointed. Nor should scholars in mainstream economics and political science fields so long as they engage with its arguments seriously. The book not only challenges some standard assumptions that should have been consigned to the intellectual junk-yard long ago but provides a richly referenced discussion on the basis of an ample evidence-base that will be new to many. * David Booth, Senior Research Fellow, ODI * This book builds a powerful framework to illustrate how underdevelopment is a political problem. Utterly convincingly and fantastically erudite. If, like me, you believe that you can't solve the problem of development without understanding its causes, then read this book. * James A. Robinson, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago *