Political Economy of Development

This compilation of essays covers a variety of subjects: economics, politics, law, finance, education, media, military, and international relations, focusing on public policy in the emerging economy of Nigeria. Put together in one neat volume, the essays are at once original as they are full in depth and breadth. The methodological approach to this collection was based on a careful dissection of crucial aspects of public policy in their raw elements and placed in the context of their conceptual and empirical groundings.

The book marries theory and practice to critique policy choices and proffer alternative options to fill the gaps where necessary. The eclectic mix of theories deployed for analysis stands out from the conventional approach seen in standard textbooks. No book on the market will have engaged with the effect of monetarism and supply-side economics versus public ownership and dependency logic; theories of democracy and pluralism versus militarism and dictatorship; distributive justice versus social justice; and "free and fair" election as a concept against "substantial compliance" with legal requirements at the end results.

The intersection between theoretical assumptions and public policy is the mechanic's workshop for this book. The essays have been written to appeal to a wide audience across different socio-economic strata, but also carefully manicured by data to raise their essence beyond a passing interest in the subject matter, to one the reader will generally find arresting, and certainly illuminating. Rather than producing a single-subject standard text in a typically isolated fashion, the approach to this volume is deliberately multidisciplinary as it is multifaceted.

This book is part of the African World Series, edited by Toyin Falola, Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, University of Texas at Austin.