The prevailing assumption in the public choice model that has served to underw rite so much of the policy in the past three decades is that the State is autonomous and free from corruptive private interests. From a historical perspective, it is clear that the State has never been a neutral instrument for good only, but has been the subject of power struggles. It is only out of such struggles that it has eventually emerged in the shape that we now use as the model of good governance. The destiny of the State has been determined by local stakeholders with an interest in improving governance.