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Complements or Substitutes? How Institutional Arrangements Bind Traditional Authorities and the State in Africa

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  • HENN, SOEREN J.

Abstract

How does the central state affect public goods provision by local actors? I study the effect of state capacity on local governance in sub-Saharan Africa, which I argue depends on whether traditional authorities are integrated in the country’s constitution. I use distance to administrative headquarters as a measure of state capacity and estimate a regression discontinuity design around administrative boundaries. If traditional authorities are not integrated, then the state and traditional authorities compete with each other, working as substitutes. That is, a stronger state undermines the power of traditional authorities. If traditional authorities are integrated, then the two work as complements. A stronger state then increases the power of traditional authorities. I show that these relationships are crucial to understanding the influence of state capacity on local economic development.

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  • Henn, Soeren J., 2023. "Complements or Substitutes? How Institutional Arrangements Bind Traditional Authorities and the State in Africa," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 117(3), pages 871-890, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:117:y:2023:i:3:p:871-890_7
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    1. Bonilla-Mejía, Leonardo & Londoño-Ortega, Erika & Henao, María Fernanda, 2024. "Geographic isolation and learning: Evidence from rural schools in Colombia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

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