
The Review of African Political Economy - examining the politics of imperialism;
development; agrarian, popular and democratic struggles; class, gender and social justice
Since 1974, ROAPE has provided radical analysis of trends, issues and social processes in Africa. It pays particular attention to the political economy of inequality, exploitation and oppression, whether driven by global forces or local ones such as class, race, ethnicity and gender), and to broadly materialist interpretations of change. It sustains a critical analysis of the nature of power and the state in Africa in the context of capitalist globalisation. READ MORE
Not only does a vacuous neo-liberal universalism persist but even the slender counter-hegenomies which survive are usually derived from outside Africa. There is a need for recognition that both the potential and the tragedy of African political economy are played out in multiple settings through variegated social and political institutions, both formal and informal. As the intellectual history of ROAPE... READ MORE
The current strong foothold of Chinese enterprises on the African continent concerns many western observers. They fear that the West will lose leverage in Africa and simultaneously postpone development. Paradoxically, the advance of Chinese enterprises in Africa is not only the result of deliberate Chinese policies to gain access to resources and markets, but also the consequence of liberal African... READ MORE
This paper compares three African countries whose attempts to transform local governance in the 1980s were among the most dramatic, particularly in rural areas: Burkina Faso under Thomas Sankara (1983–1987), Ghana in the early years of the Jerry Rawlings presidency (1981–1992), and Uganda under Yoweri Museveni (1985–present). Despite surface similarities, especially in the establishment of local ‘people’s defence councils’ or... READ MORE
One element in the contradictions underpinning Nigeria’s development crisis is the marginalisation of youth. This article examines the factors that influence youth restiveness in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. It discusses the impact of conservative elite politics and the oil-centric political economy characterised by the impoverishment, neglect and the repression of the oil-producing communities on the youth in the region. The... READ MORE

Edited by Giles Mohan and Tunde Zack-Williams.
(These readings focus carefully on African Politics; International
Relations and African Political Thought will be the topics of future
volumes.)
"This book is a welcome addition to teaching materials on
African politics. It brings together a distinctive approach to African
politics, which clearly remains extremely relevant to the present-day.
Those who teach African politics will be able to find chapters in the
book that will be most useful for students in undergraduate courses."
Graham Harrison in Modern African Studies
"'...the story of that moving feast of theorising about Africa
that has lain at the heart of ROAPE from the start, and one of the most
notable conclusions that I drew from this collection is how far the
streams of thought have come together." - Peter Woodward
... MORE

ROAPE is a refereed journal committed to encouraging high quality research and fostering excellence in the understanding of African political economy. Published quarterly by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group for the ROAPE international collective, it contains academic articles, debates pieces, briefings and commentary on current events relating to Africa and an active section of book reviews. The Review is noted in: African Urban and Regional Science Index, EconLit, International Political Science Abstracts, PAIS Select, Political Science Abstracts ... HOW TO BUY
These are either full-text reprints of pieces from the journal, additional notes, or new e-briefings published exclusively here. Materials here may appear later in the journal, or may be short-lived or urgent material incompatible with the turnaround time of printing.
- editorial from the founding issue of the journal in 1974 explains why the journal needed to be formed, and discusses its ideological perspective, and the challenges of imperialism (with particular reference to transnational corporations) to class struggle.... FULL TEXT
- our issue at the end of 1986 examined the economic crisis in Nigeria following the collapse in OPEC prices. It compared the effects on Nigeria's debts and the worsening political crisis.... FULL TEXT
- from Spring 1991, this re-assesses the role of the Review following the collapse of "state socialism" in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Discusses crisis and transformation, the new imperialism of a single super-power, and prospects for social development in Africa and the problems of democracy.... FULL TEXT
- as a new South Africa began to emerge in 1994, this issued centred on the difficult questions of national land reform which the ANC's Reconstruction and Development Programme identified as 'the central and driving force of a programme of rural development'.... FULL TEXT
- from 1995, discusses how imperialism continues to redefine itself, as the US 'unipolar world' (following the demise of 'state socialism' in the Soviet Union) gives way to a 'tripolar world' as the decline in US economic power is increasingly challenged by that of Japan and Germany, leading to a divide between military and economic power which has potential dangers for other nations that they may be inadvertently drawn into other people's conflicts.... FULL TEXT
- collection of links to resources on the Maghreb compiled in 2000 by Chris Allen - NOT kept up to date - kept as historical curiosity... FULL TEXT
If you have material which you think should be published on this site or in the journal, see How to contribute.