The Hybrid State : Destatization and Neopatrimonialism: Key Concepts for Understanding International Relations

Substantial changes in the recent history of international relations between global economic and political forces call for a reflection on the reconfiguration and reorganization of the international political system. Typical of this context is the complex process of destatization, described by Linz, which stems from the crisis in the State and the concept of sovereignty determined by the growing interdependence of international relations. Key to the understanding of destatization is Eisenstadt’s concept of neopatrimonialism: institutional modernization is not a linear but a multiple process that nurtures hybridization and the selective absorption of change. These concepts form the basis for a reflection on the topics currently characterizing political shifts in sub-Saharan Africa, a subcontinent that is experimenting with some of the most original forms of governance in the world.