In this important reappraisal of Africa's political evolutionover an extended period, Jeffrey Herbst engages in a dialoguewith scholars of comparative and African politics on thecauses of state weakness and the possibilities for stateredesign. Herbst argues that state consolidation in Africa hasbeen complicated by the problem of extending authority overits distant territories. Low population densities have been along-standing obstacle encountered by precolonial, colonial,and independent African rulers alike. It has proven expensivefor leaders at the political center to project power overpeoples and territories far from the capital city. As a result,rural areas have been neglected, particularly by colonialregimes, and urban areas have been favored in terms ofpublic services and amenities.