Taking aim at the all-important but elusive subject of African governance, the author acknowledges the severe constraints (internal and external) on the effective exercise of governing authority, but stakes out a modest area for comparative analysis. Examining some of the main examples of "coercive" and "persuasive," "accommodationist" and "transformationist" leadership styles in the continent, he concludes that for both "accommodationist" and "transformationist" strategies, persuasion has usually worked better than coercion-both in achieving the leader's goals and assuring his secure tenure in office.
