When this volume was first published, the fact that underdevelopment was becoming a permanent condition rather than a transitory stage was a burning issue facing African social scientists. Calls were for attention to be paid to small-scale industries rather than dependence on foreign support, and to concentrate efforts on the well-being of the citizen rather than on institutions; and academics contributed to these debates. Times have moved on but arguably the underlying questions remain unresolved. Various of these essays consider: the role of local government; foreign policies of developing nations; regional co-operation and the search for unity; the economy and international economic relations; public and private investment; trade and national development; social change and welfare problems including psychological aspects of developing nations and personality perspectives; and moral values and socialism.