Introduction: Trade and state formation in Somali East Africa and beyond

The introduction poses the guiding questions, main contributions, arguments, and hypotheses of the book. It argues that the ability to govern goods—rather than people or land—has been under-appreciated by state-building endeavours focusing on institution building, good governance and public finance reform. The chapter gives an overview of the key themes of the book, including logistics and circulation; infrastructure, gatekeeping, and state formation; and borderlands. It includes a brief overview of how a ‘greater Somali economy’ has evolved in East Africa before and after state collapse. Finally, the authors provide a chapter preview of the book.