Book Description:
The central concern of this study is power and influence, a twin concept: How African countries can obtain power and use it properly for the common good of the people. Thus the transfer of the concepts of power and influence from the plane of theory to that of social practice should render a service to those in search of greater social relevance in social change as well as to those seeking an improved, more precise, and intellectually more manageable and intelligible frame of reference for power and its usage. This publication is different, and the hope is that it will open new vistas to students as well as the reading public who are beginning to learn about state-building, democracy and development (government and politics) in countries other than their own.

Table of Contents:
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgment
Abbreviations

Introduction: Critical Choices for Africa, pp. 1-8

Structure, pp. 9-11

Chapter 1: The Objectives and Rationale, pp. 13-49

Chapter 2: Prospects And Transition To Democratic Governance, pp. 51-89

Chapter 3: Trends In Embracing The Politics Of Confrontation And Consensus, pp. 91-136

Chapter 4: Towards A New Political Order, pp. 137-180

Chapter 5: Epilogue And Conclusion, pp. 181-225

References pp.227-240

Index pp.241-260