Panel 69: Pockets of Efficiency in the Neo-Patrimonial State: Hotbeds for the Return of the Developmental State in Africa

Generally, it is claimed that once a state is more patrimonial and less legal-rational it is less able to develop the country, i.e. be a developmental state. And that turns out to be wide of the empirical truth as comparative research in Asia has made clear. It has shown that neo-patrimonial states can also be developmental states in that they can fulfill a central role in the process of capital accumulation for economic growth. Moreover, less neo-patrimony does not automatically mean more development. The question is instead when or why a neo-patrimonial state becomes a developmental state as well. The answer lies in pressure from society for more welfare and for the political-administrative elite to create economic growth because otherwise its dominant position is in danger. Therefore and contrary to what is often thought, a neo-patrimonial state can be a developmental state at the same time. One option of accomplishing this is through state enterprises that produce added value under an autonomous management, more or less protected against political and bureaucratic squeeze. The point may be that such Weberian enclaves of efficiency within the neo-patrimonial state could become the new hotbeds of the developmental state.

This panel invites papers that explore the overall developmental potential of such pockets of efficiency in the neo-patrimonial state.