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1 - Doing Business Like a State

The Response to Social Crisis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2019

Antoinette Handley
Affiliation:
University College, University of Toronto
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Summary

Forty years ago, Colin Leys asked “how far the class that has the greatest interest in surmounting and resolving the problems confronting capitalist development … [has] identified these problems or shown itself able to tackle them?” An examination of the business response in four African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and South Africa) to two kinds of crises (HIV/AIS and political violence) provides surprising answers: African businesses can be key responders to crisis, on occasion responding well in advance of the state and in welfare-enhancing ways that assist the society more widely to resolve the underlying crisis. Large, home-grown, diversified business groups are prominent in the ranks of the constructive responders to crisis, acting in surprising and counterintuitive ways.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Doing Business Like a State
  • Antoinette Handley, University College, University of Toronto
  • Book: Business and Social Crisis in Africa
  • Online publication: 11 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108635356.001
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  • Doing Business Like a State
  • Antoinette Handley, University College, University of Toronto
  • Book: Business and Social Crisis in Africa
  • Online publication: 11 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108635356.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Doing Business Like a State
  • Antoinette Handley, University College, University of Toronto
  • Book: Business and Social Crisis in Africa
  • Online publication: 11 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108635356.001
Available formats
×