The Scarce State: Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland

Many scholars have focused on the supposed weakness of African states and their inability to project power and control their entire territory. In this insightful book, Nathan makes the counterintuitive claim that a limited state can still have a large impact on local populations. When the state is “scarce” in a region, its policies can have more of an effect on institutions and society than when the state is more present. Nathan’s core analysis concerns the hinterland of northern Ghana, focusing on three areas of policy: the state’s reliance on local chiefs to rule on its behalf, its efforts to promote education, and its approach to land policy. With the ingenious use of data, Nathan shows very clearly that the thinness of the state in a region can still powerfully shape social inequality and local power relations. For instance, in northern Ghana, the state finances very few schools, and the small number of people who benefit from this support enjoy outsize advantages; in southern Ghana, on the other hand, where the state is more active in backing schools, government funding provides more limited advantages.