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The Scarce State by Noah L Nathan: New

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Last updated on Oct 20, 2025 12:20:31 PDTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See the ...
Publication Date
2023-03-02
Pages
310
ISBN
9781009261128
Book Title
Scarce State : Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland
Book Series
Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics Ser.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Item Length
9 in
Publication Year
2023
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Item Height
0.9 in
Author
Noah L. Nathan
Genre
Political Science
Topic
General, American Government / General
Item Width
6 in
Number of Pages
310 Pages
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISBN-10
1009261126
ISBN-13
9781009261128
eBay Product ID (ePID)
4058363243

Product Key Features

Book Title
Scarce State : Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland
Number of Pages
310 Pages
Language
English
Topic
General, American Government / General
Publication Year
2023
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Political Science
Author
Noah L. Nathan
Book Series
Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics Ser.
Format
Trade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height
0.9 in
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN
2022-027068
Dewey Edition
23
TitleLeading
The
Reviews
'In this theoretically original and empirically rich book, Noah Nathan reveals the outsized impact of rare state interventions on social, economic, and political relations in the hinterlands. Transforming the rhetoric and refocusing the analysis on the scarcity of the state transforms our understanding of governance and government throughout the world.' Margaret Levi, Stanford University, 'Using the case of Ghana to study state-society relations in the hinterland, Prof. Noah Nathan's excellent new book forces his readers to rethink common claims about the state. In particular, Prof. Nathan provides a fresh and compelling theory of when, how and why even a 'weak' state can have everlasting effects on core development outcomes such as inequality, elite capture, electoral competition, clientelism and political violence. This book should be a must read for anyone interested in developing countries' political and economic trajectories.' Guy Grossman, University of Pennsylvania
Dewey Decimal
320.91724
Table Of Content
Part I. Introduction: 1. The politics of state scarcity; 2. The large effects of scarce states; 3. Northern Ghana's scarce state; Part II. Societal Effects: 4. The origins of inequality; 5. Bottom-Up responses to scarcity; Part III. Political Effects: 6. Dynasties; 7. Invented chiefs and distributive politics; 8. Non-State violence as a state effect; Part IV. Extending the Argument: 9. Shadow cases; 10. The paradox of state weakness; Appendix: Qualitative interviews; Bibliography; Index.
Synopsis
This book explores the politics of hinterlands in the developing world, showing that even in peripheral regions where the state appears weakest, it has significant power to transform society. The book challenges classic theories of state-building and provides lessons for policymakers promoting development in some of the world's poorest regions., States are often minimally present in the rural periphery. Yet a limited presence does not mean a limited impact. Isolated state actions in regions where the state is otherwise scarce can have outsize, long-lasting effects on society. The Scarce State reframes our understanding of the political economy of hinterlands through a multi-method study of Northern Ghana alongside shadow cases from other world regions. Drawing on a historical natural experiment, the book shows how the contemporary economic and political elite emerged in Ghana's hinterland, linking interventions by an ostensibly weak state to new socio-economic inequality and grassroots efforts to reimagine traditional institutions. The book demonstrates how these state-generated societal changes reshaped access to political power, producing dynastic politics, clientelism, and violence. The Scarce State challenges common claims about state-building and state weakness, provides new evidence on the historical origins of inequality, and reconsiders the mechanisms linking historical institutions to contemporary politics.
LC Classification Number
JF60.N38 2023

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  • r***g (242)- Feedback left by buyer.
    Past month
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    Book was "nearly new" and "as described" in listing. The advertised price was fair and a good value. Unfortunately, the seller's shipping partner was very slow to get the book packaged and shipped. Shipping took too long, and the tracking info gave no reliable info on shipping date, time in transit or expected delivery. Seller did everything right, but their shipping partner needs improvement. I recommend this seller to other eBay buyers....... just make sure you're okay with the shipping terms.
  • e***u (283)- Feedback left by buyer.
    Past month
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    The listing was for a hardcover version of this book; however, I received a paperback. The Seller replied quickly to my question about this issue and issued a full refund - and let me keep the book. So, a diligent Seller for sure - and well packaged and reasonable timing on shipping. Thank you for the refund, and as you suggested, I'll likely donate this volume and seek the hardcover.
  • e***n (392)- Feedback left by buyer.
    Past 6 months
    Verified purchase
    Great transaction, exactly as described, packed well, and promptly shipped on August 6th. Unfortunately the U.S. Postal Service took 23 calendar days to deliver the book. It was shipped from Pennsylvania, to Atlanta, past Alabama to Texas, enjoyed several days in Texas, then to Minneapolis, Jacksonville, Florida, back to Atlanta, finally to Birmingham, and Huntsville. The seller was very responsive and I decided it was interesting to see if/how the book would arrive. Thanks, Joe