Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-279) and index.

Introduction : the terminally ill Berlinist state / George Klay Kieh, Jr. -- Making the state relevant : theoretical models / George Klay Kieh, Jr. -- The political economy of the African state / Pita Ogaba Agbese -- Making the state relevant in Burundi / Leonce Ndikumana -- Making the state relevant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo / Musifiky Mwanasali -- State-building in Ethiopia / Kidane Mengisteab -- The state, its reform, and the question of legitimacy in Kenya / Godwin Murunga -- Nigeria : challenges to the state and ways of breaking through the quagmire / Toure Kazah-Toure -- The disintegration and restoration of state authority in Sierra Leone / Hashim Gibrill -- Somalia : state failure, state collapse, and the possibilities for state reconstitution / Alice B. Hashim -- Making the state relevant in South Africa / Owen Sichone -- Making the state relevant : the politics of state reconstruction in Uganda / Paul Omach -- Creating a relevant state in Africa : the lessons / George Klay Kieh, Jr.