'The state of the African state: Where has it come from and where is it going?' with Dr Nick Westcott

22 November 2022

Portrait of Professor Ricardo Soares de Oliveira

with Professor Ricardo Soares de Oliveira
 Professor of the International Politics of Africa

Ricardo Soares de Oliveira is Professor of the International Politics of Africa at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford; Official Fellow of St Peter's College; and a Fellow with the Global Public Policy Institu...

African states have been in flux since long before colonial powers carved up the continent into bite-sized chunks at the end of the 19th century.

In the 60 years since most became independent, new trends have emerged. Some have reflected history, both colonial and pre-colonial, from ethnic rivalries and migrating populations to authoritarian structures, extractive institutions and irrational borders.

Others reflect new dynamics both local and global - economic imbalances, demographic dynamism, changing climate and a changing balance of global power. But in particular there is a shift in the ideological basis of the state: how do people view it, what do they expect and what do governments think they should do?

This is a joint event with the Oxford Martin Programme on African Governance