Historical Background
Most African and Asian nations were at one time or another colonies of Western European countries, primarily
Britain and France but also Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, and Spain. The economic structures of
these nations, as well as their educational and social institutions, have typically been modeled on those of their
former colonial rulers. Countries like those in Africa that only recently gained their independence are therefore
likely to be more concerned with consolidating and evolving their own national economic and political structures
than with simply promoting rapid economic development. Their policies (e.g., the rapid Africanization of former
colonial-held civil service jobs) may consequently reflect a greater interest in these immediate political issues.