State Power and Economic Inefficiency Explaining Political Failture in Africa'

Rural survival in Africa, as elsewhere, depends predominantly upon social rather than ecological factors once a division of labour between town and country has been established. The viability of the production process on the farm becomes a function of the effectiveness of the external structures which manage the interaction between them; more especially, that of the agencies, public and private, which guarantee property rights, supply inputs and market outputs. While there is much evidence to suggest that farmers, even the poorest and most ill-educated, will maximise their output when conditions permit, it is equally clear that production will decline when these processes of mediation break down.