An authoritative assessment of the reform efforts in African economies during the 1980s and early 1990s. The focus is on the reform process in the socialist countries which began from a position of pervasive state intervention. The impact of the subsequent economic liberalization and the changing role of the state during the period of transition is the focus of this theoretical overview, with particular coverage of macroeconomic management and the privatization of state enterprises. A companion volume (0-333-71237-4) contains in-depth country studies. These books are the first in an important new series in association with the Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.