This book analyses major themes in twenty-first-century east African politics. Predominantly authored by researchers and academics from the region, it examines recent political developments, public policy and governance across east and southern African countries. The book advocates for a regionally-focused comparative approach across Africa, arguing that it provides a greater level of analysis than a complete continental study. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, it covers numerous topics relating to politics, public policy, state and nation-building in Africa. Filling an important void in current literature, the book will appeal to academics, practitioners, politicians and students of politics, public policy and governance.

Chapter 16 and 20 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Gedion Onyango is Lecturer of Public Policy and Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Part I: CONCEPTUALISING STATE POLITICS IN Africa.- CHAPTER 1: Towards the Africa We Want! The changing state politics in Africa.-CHAPTER 2: State Politics and Public Policy in Africa: A State Transformation Perspective.- CHAPTER 3: Divergent Identity and State Formation in Eastern Africa: Legitimacy and Policy Performance.- CHAPTER 4: The "Boomerang Effect": Lessons Learned from Power-Sharing in Kenya and Zimbabwe.- Part II: STATE FORMATION AND POLITICS OF CONSOLIDATION IN EASTERN.- CHAPTER 5: Secessionist claims and state-building: The emergence and trends in Eastern Africa.- CHAPTER 6: Ethio-Sudanese Relations: Revisiting Civil Wars, Refugeeism and Foreign Policy in Eastern Africa.- CHAPTER 7: Confronting Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Eastern Africa.- CHAPTER 8: The People's Defence Forces (Military) and State-Building Politics in Eastern Africa.- CHAPTER 9: The Past and Present of Public Sector Reforms in Eastern Africa.- CHAPTER 10: Imperilled Welfare States of Eastern Africa: A comparative analysis of the Policy legacies of Taxation politics in Kenya and Uganda.- Part III: POLITICS OF PARTICIPATION: CRAFTING PUBLIC POLICY AND CITIZENSHIP SPACES.- CHAPTER 11: Social Cohesion, Politics and Governance in East Africa: Evidence from Afrobarometer Surveys.- CHAPTER 12: Politics of Social Protection: The Visible, Invisible and Ignored Citizens.- CHAPTER 13: How and why women Legislators miss out on Legislative Leadership roles: Gender Equality Policies and Legislative influence in Kenya.- CHAPTER 14: Civil Society Organizations' Policy Entrepreneurship roles in Kenya and Uganda's Housing Policies.- CHAPTER 15: Science and Technology and Development in Eastern Africa from rhetoric to actions: Citizens' agency in the implementation of STIs Policies.- CHAPTER 16: Climate Change Adoptions in Eastern Africa: The Challenges and Prospects of Climate Change Adaptation Policies.- Part IV: REGIONAL INTEGRATION, DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AND PUBLIC POLICY IN EASTERN AFRICA.- CHAPTER 17: Intergovernmentalism vs State-centrism in supranational governance: The Eastern Africa Economic Integration in Perspective.- CHAPTER 18: Is the African Continental Fee-Trade Area (AfCFTA) a Friend or Foe of East African Development?.- CHAPTER 19: A Governance Discourse in Chinese's Development Finance Assistance in Eastern Africa.- CHAPTER 20: The evolution of the political dimension of EU Co-operation with Eastern Africa.