COVID-19 Update: NED is continuing to operate during this worldwide health emergency, and to make grants in support of democracy. However, our office is closed to the public and all in-person events and meetings have been postponed, cancelled or are occurring virtually.
Democratic and economic development will become sustainable in sub-Saharan Africa only with the emergence of coherent, legitimate, and effective states.
About the Author
Richard Joseph is John Evans Professor of International History and Politics at Northwestern University. He is the author of Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria (1987; reissued 2014). He is writing books on post-1975 Nigerian politics and society; and on governance, development, and the state in Africa.
