“Making the road while walking” : statecraft in contemporary times

Abstract

State construction is messy and complex, brimming with contradictions, fraught
 with conflict and unpredictability. This article identifies a few hurdles likely to be
 encountered in the simultaneous making and walking of this road. In order to do
 so, it examines the structure and behaviour of the state, the concept of political
 settlements, and the “good governance” agenda. The article outlines some
 implications for public policy that relate to issues of governance, and explores the
 possibility of working with clientelism and patronage as enablers and contributors
 to growth, rather than seeing them as pathologies that need to be “corrected” by
 administrative reforms. Successful delivery of socially inclusive and empowering
 developmental programmes and projects in the proposed framework hinges on the
 comprehension and negotiation of social change and transformation in novel and
 realistic ways.