Résumé
With reference to studies using rent seeking and public choice theories, donors have been promoting liberalization policies built on the discredit of the state. Poor results of economic reforms dictated from outside show a weak understanding of the internal dynamics of African societies. The conventional structural adjustment school exhibits strong limits in the analysis of African issues political economics can solve by offering a more comprehensive framework. Indeed, studying local intrigues and national trajectories help to identify the actual real challenges and draw elements for negotiating the institutional arrangements underlying new development strategies.