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A Review of Social Welfare in Sub‐Saharan Africa: From the Colonial Legacy to the Millennium Development Goals
Author(s) -
Luiz John M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
economic papers: a journal of applied economics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.245
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1759-3441
pISSN - 0812-0439
DOI - 10.1111/1759-3441.12013
Subject(s) - clientelism , colonialism , democratization , politics , state (computer science) , welfare state , coercion (linguistics) , political science , political economy , welfare , social contract , social security , period (music) , social welfare , social change , development economics , sociology , economics , law , art , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , computer science , democracy , aesthetics
In this article, we explore the historical evolution of social welfare policy in sub‐ S aharan A frica focusing on the post‐1900 period. We show that we have seen a very conflicted approach to social development. Social security was reluctantly and very slowly introduced during the colonial period, and the post‐colonial state has likewise been cautious in its approach and has not been able to build a long‐term social contract with society. Instead, it has relied on clientelism, cooption, coercion and patronage. Since the late 1990s we have seen the African state and political systems begin to mature with greater democratisation and the growth of formal welfare systems.