Coups, Rivals, and the Modern State

Advance praise: 'Through extensive research and perspicacious theorizing, Beth S. Rabinowitz has developed an innovative and compelling argument about the significance of a 'rural political strategy' for statebuilding in Africa. Rulers who build coalitions in the countryside are less prone to coups and more likely to develop their economies than leaders who focus on urban areas and consolidating power. Building on a deep tradition in the study of African politics, Rabinowitz breaks new ground in the study of urban-rural dynamics by demonstrating empirically how a rural political strategy contributes to stability. Her book is a key contribution for those who wish to understand the structural foundations of politics in Africa.' Scott Straus, University of Wisconsin, Madison Advance praise: 'Beth S. Rabinowitz brings territorial politics back into the study of postcolonial African states. This valuable study is an important counterweight to conventional stories of 'urban bias' in African politics, and a historical corrective to work that takes 1990s multipartism as the 'beginning of politics'. Rabinowitz's argument that strong agricultural policies stabilized some of the continent's most successful regimes is developed in a structured comparison of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, and then extended across a set of 135 governments (in 44 countries) in postcolonial Africa. A new and important argument.' Catherine Boone, London School of Economics and Political Science