A Decolonized State: The Success of Botswana Revisited

Abstract: Botswana has since independence showed a remarkable economic and political stability and been spared of conflict, ethnic violence, and large scale human rights violations that have been a common occurrence in other parts of Africa. This single case study examines why Botswana has been spared from neo-patrimonial structures by analyzing three other cases with much less successful performance records. Botswana currently outperforms almost all other African states in many categories and is even beating several European states in corruption indices. Many African states struggle with parallel institutions that are competing with the state. These neo-patrimonial structures take advantage of ethnic, religious, regional identities and allegiances to spread mistrust of the relatively new state institutions and undermine the legitimacy of the same. This study outlines the systemic causes of neo-patrimonial structures in developing countries by applying a postcolonial critique of state-building practice and Western hegemony in international relations. Factors that have promoted neo-patrimonial structures in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire are compared to Botswana. The final analysis shows how Botswana through historical circumstances, wise leadership, and good policy decisions has managed to retain ownership of its destiny and successfully navigate the treacherous seas.