Both authoritative and accessible, African Development introduces the issues, actors, and institutions at play in development trajectories across sub-Saharan Africa. This new edition, thoroughly updated, includes an entirely new chapter devoted to key demographic trends in the region, especially rapid urbanization and the distinct “youth bulge.” There is also a review of major democratic gains and disappointments since 2011; analysis of renewed internal armed conflicts; and attention to the contemporary sovereign debt crisis relative to the structural adjustment debt of earlier decades. The book uniquely brings to life the collective impact of history, economics, and politics on development in the region. CONTENTS: The Complexities of African Development. HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT. The Colonial Legacy. BigMen, Personal Rule, and Patronage Politics. Party Systems and Democratic Trajectories. Conflict, War, and State Fragility. CORE DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS. Growth and Transformation. The Political Economy of Policy Reform. The International Aid System. Debt ... and Déjà Vu? Poverty, Health, and Human Development. Demography, Urbanization, and Inequality. REGIONALISM AND GLOBALIZATION. The African Union and Regional Institutions. World Trade and Late Industrialization. Private Investment and the Business Environment. CONCLUSION. Uncertainty and Optimism.