Every election promises institutional reform. Every new government arrives promising better institutions, more effective public services and cleaner government. Citizens expect those promises to translate into real accountability. Yet across much of Africa, remarkably similar political systems keep returning. Patronage survives constitutional reform. Public organisations lose experienced professionals. Governments accumulate political control while struggling to expand governing capability. If so many people recognise these weaknesses, why does yesterday’s state keep rebuilding itself?
The usual explanations remain important. Colonial rule left institutions designed more for extraction than national development. Scarce resources constrain public administration. Corruption diverts public revenue. Leadership influences outcomes. The more important question is why institutional arrangements that constrain effective government continue to endure decades after independence.
