Explaining Political Instability in New States
- 1 September 1973
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in The Journal of Modern African Studies
- Vol. 11 (3) , 347-359
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022278x00008478
Abstract
This article is a theoretical exploration of the problem of explaining political instability in new states, especially those of Africa. It begins with a critical evaluation of current tendencies of interpretation, and then goes on to suggest how we might construct a more adequate theory.Explanations of political instability in the new states usually stress one or more of five related factors: cultural heterogeneity, low regime legitimacy, lack of coercive power, economic backwardness, and structural simplicity. Let us examine each of these factors.Keywords
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