Reimagining the Developmental State in Africa through the East Asian Mirror

The neoliberal development trajectory that many African countries followed, particularly under the dominance of liberal macroeconomics as spearheaded by the Bretton Woods institutions, has failed to solve the social and economic challenges confronting the continent. However, in spite of the neoliberal global restructuring, countries in East Asia managed to realise high rates of economic growth and make massive improvements in overall wellbeing through their developmental state model, a model beyond the prescriptions of the neoliberal orthodox. In view of the stagnation of growth and development in Africa, the paper used a desktop research method to draw lessons from the remarkable transformation in East Asia in order to provide insights into the construction of the African developmental state. The paper reveals that capable, internally coherent state bureaucracies were the driving force behind the East Asian 'miracle', and the region's ability to balance economic growth imperatives with social welfare concerns. In Africa, the legacy of colonialism, the grip of neoliberalism, rent-seeking behaviours, and weak institutions are some of the factors weakening state capacity to take a leading role in development processes. The paper proposes the reforming of the institutional architecture, restructuring of state-owned enterprises, strengthening state-civil society relation, and investing in human capital as keys to the quest to create a developmental state in Africa.