The previous two chapters have suggested that relations of power in African countries are predominantly personal and in that sense, informal. They are not just indicative of odd behavior that goes contrary to formal authority. They are in fact the social structures that strive to hold society together. As the discussion of the supremacy of politics indicated, agency occurs in the context of informal relations. The informal has been institutionalized to the point where it tends to dominate the way formal institutions operate. Formal rules, for instance, are often bent to serve informal institutions. The informal institutions that grow out of attempts to control and manage society exclusively by political means are not unique to Africa, but their significance is particularly noticeable there. The supremacy of politics in Africa rests on a social logic, again not unique to the continent but crucial to understanding the problematic nature of the state. Nowhere else, therefore, can the role of informality be better studied than in African countries.

Because these institutions permeate social and political life, one can rightly speak of the presence of a fundamental social logic. This logic centers on direct, face-to-face reciprocities to get things done. Its core principles are that (a) whom you know is more important than what you know, (b) sharing personal wealth is more rewarding than investing in economic ventures, and (c) a helping hand today generates returns tomorrow. Such is the essence of the informal political economy that I call the “economy of affection” (Hyden 1980).