User:Saw2188/sandbox/States and Power

Academic Reception
States and Power in Africa was a co-winner of the 2001 Gregory Luebbert Book Award from the American Political Science Association in comparative politics. It was also a finalist for the 2001 Herskovits Prize awarded by the African Studies Association.

In a 2002 book review for the Journal of Economic Literature, James A. Robinson called the book "a bold, historically informed theoretical analysis, essential reading for economists interested in comparative institutions and development." Robinson offers several critiques of the book. He questions that low population densities stalled modern institutional development in Africa, pointing out that that states with higher precolonial population densities were worse off after colonialism on average. He also contests Herbst's conclusion that modern powers should allow the disintegration of the African state system to pave the way for experimentation with new forms of sovereignty.