Property and political order in Africa: Land rights and the structure of politics

Abstract

Boone's third book on rural African political economy is an outstanding contribution to the study of contemporary African politics. Admittedly, none of the arguments offered are entirely new. Some of the chapters are repetitive and others suffer from convoluted writing, for instance when the author argues that ‘patterned variation in rural outcomes is attributable to the structuring effects of rural institutions’ (p. 20). Besides these minor imperfections, Boone's account of how land tenure regimes fashion local and national (land) politics across the African continent is a veritable tour de force. Informed by attention to history, geography, and political economy, Boone brings institutional politics back into the study of rural Africa. The author draws on a rigorous comparative research design and a cumulative analysis of some 32 land conflicts. The result is a powerful explanation of how variegated land tenure regimes shape smallholders' access to land, local politics, and broader state–society relations – and, in doing so, ‘have played a critical role in creating and sustaining political order within national units’ (p. 21).