"The author of Silent Revolution in Africa turns his attention here to the main problem African countries now face: how to escape from the trap of marginalization, deepening impoverishment and state disintegration in the new era of globalization?" "Professor Fantu Cheru refuses to accept the easy rhetoric of the left or the equally misguided oversimplifications of neoliberal prescriptions. Instead he bases his wide-ranging arguments in the actual realities of what is going on in Africa - the practical lessons to be learned from both mistakes made and the initiatives that have borne positive fruit. He argues for a middle way that goes beyond the simple state-led versus market-driven approaches to Africa's development. This requires international financial institutions to cease their heavyhanded interventions and leave room for countries to decide their own development paths. It also requires African countries to renew democracy and improve governance, invest in education, revitalize agriculture, strengthen regional economic integration and prevent yet more deadly conflicts. This means a recognition that there are no simple solutions. It also means carrying out concrete strategies, combining public management and private sector entrepreneurship, and a new generation committed to a new kind of politics."--Jacket.