Cover; Half-title; Series information; Title page; Copyright information; Contents; List of figures; List of maps; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations and acronyms; Introduction; An anatomy of economic governance; The work of the state in times of crisis and reform; The passages of economic governance; The research and the book; 1 Making a living in Ngaoundéré; Ngaoundéré in historical perspective; The making of a public contractor; A cattle trader at a crossroads; An undistinguished trucking career; 'A matter of the heart'; 2 The ordering of public things

Public contracts as targets of reformA seat in Alhadji Djibrilla's station wagon; Procedures, papers, stamps, and signatures; The sway of le suivisme; Power in contracts; The taxation of public contracting; 3 'Cattle saves the day'; Vying for a share of the southern markets; Remembrance of cattle past; Cattle trade as an economic niche; The circulation of cattle as a regulatory target; Taxing the cattle trade; 4 On and off the road; The emergence of a regional transport hub; 'Disorder took hold'; Times of pipeline-induced plenty; Access to freight; Enforcement on the road

5 Under the NGO labelA 'flourishing' of associations; Le label ONG (the NGO label); The quest for contracts; NGOs and profits; Conclusion: letting pass, letting go; Bibliography; Index