This is the rule of law in action at the local level, and it is building, often from scratch, a culture in which disputes are settled peacefully and benefits distributed transparently. The alternative – recourse to violence in the face of unequal access to resources – has led to a cycle of political instability in many countries, with the consequent lack of economic development that has come to characterize much of Africa’s recent history.
这是法治精神在地方层面的活跃情况，非洲正在从无到有地建立一种和平解决纠纷、透明分配利益的文化。相反的做法——在面临资源可获得性不平等时诉诸暴力——导致许多国家反复出现政治动荡，由此带来的经济发展不力已成为非洲当代史的一大特征。