MIT political scientist and Global Diversity Lab Affiliate, Noah Nathan’s new book, “The Scarce State,” looks at the way seemingly minimal state oversight in rural Ghana has actually had profound effects on society. In the book, Nathan studies three types of state actions in rural Ghana: the use of traditional chiefs as local government surrogates, the placement of public schools, and the selective application of property rights. Read the MIT New coverage of the book here: https://news.mit.edu/2023/governments-invisible-hand-developing-countries-0511