Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. From Development to Post-Development -- 1. Foundations for development in southern Africa -- 2. elusive developmental nexus -- 3. Beyond development -- II. Comparative Regional Trajectories -- 4. Botswana: paternalism and the developmental state -- 5. Zimbabwe: the failing state revisited -- 6. South Africa: normalization of uneven development -- Conclusion. Comparative lessons from southern Africa.

"Orthodox strategies for socio-economic development have failed spectacularly in southern Africa. Neither the developmental state nor neoliberal reform seems able to provide a solution to Africa's problems." "Africa's Development Impasse analyses this failure and explores the potential for alternatives. Examining why Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa have been unable to overcome a debilitating colonial legacy, the book argues that it is time to rethink the political economy of development. Building on the path-breaking work of post-development theorists, Stefan Andreasson navigates a new way through the current development impasse." "This important fusion of theory with empirical case studies is essential reading for students of development politics and Africa."--BOOK JACKET.