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The Scarce State: Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland

Noah L. Nathan

Culture, humanities & social science

The Scarce State: Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland

By Noah L. Nathan, professor of political science

Cambridge University Press · 2023

The formal state often appears absent in the rural periphery in developing countries. Yet these states are not as weak as many believe. In a multi-method study of historical development in Ghana, Nathan rethinks the process of state-building in hinterlands, demonstrating how even seemingly absent states still change the underlying nature of their societies, with implications for better understanding the governance challenges that these regions face.

From Summer 2023 recommended reading from MIT (MIT News). Cover image via Google Books.