A Choice Outstanding Academic Book!

"Thoughtful, well written, and even the mature scholar of African Development will be impressed by its contents.... Moss’ book leads the student in to a deep understanding of the actors at work in Africa’s Development."—Barry Riddell, Canadian Journal of Development Studies

"Treating both political and economic themes with admirable clarity, [Moss] walks the reader briskly through Africa's colonial legacy, the syndrome of personal rule, the economic liabilities of conflict, and the challenges of democratic reform.... Provides a thorough and critical but fair-minded treatment in a style that is plainspoken and often witty.... An excellent resource."—Nicolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs

"An excellent introduction to current political and economic issues in Africa. Chapter 1's 'Ten Tips for Sensibly Studying African Development' are reason enough to read the book.... Highly recommended."—Choice

"This very well crafted book is invaluable as a basic overview of the subject."—Crawford Young, University of Wisconsin

"An excellent introduction to the African development story since independence.... This book fills a noticeable gap at exactly the time when Africa is receiving growing international attention."—Callisto Madavo, Georgetown University

"This concise, accessible book is full of essential information and careful treatment of the leading African issues of the day."—Chester Crocker, Georgetown University

"African Development's broad and detailed coverage of all the major issues and actors is beautifully and succinctly written with both analytic realism and policy optimism. It provides the necessary information and background and tools to allow the reader to think critically and productively."—Thomas Callaghy, University of Pennsylvania

"This new book fills a large and long-standing gap in the study of African development. It is also well written, and in a language that evokes powerful images and brings the material to life.... Moss skillfully discusses all of the major topics and debates in the field."—Gina Lambright, George Washington University

"This compulsively readable and accessible book is a masterpiece of clear thinking, comprehensiveness, balance, insight, and humor. It will meet the needs of all those who want to know more about Africa's mixture of disappointment and promise."—William Easterly, New York University

"An excellent and much-needed volume that brilliantly manages to make complex issues clear.... Balanced and honest, it will help students distinguish between the hype, the myths, and the realities of many topics of concern to Africans and Africanists."—Pierre Englebert, Pomona College