Starting from a very low base, Botswana has had amongst the most impressive growth figures in the world and has pursued policies that reflect aspects of the developmental state model. Although the country’s development trajectory has not been unproblematic and there are major contradictions in the economy, the example of Botswana is an intriguing example of how development was pursued in a country that was given no hope at independence. Of major importance in this story was the construction of a post-colonial historic bloc and a broad hegemonic project underpinning the chosen developmental path which has granted the dominant party an enduring form of legitimacy almost unprecedented in the rest of Africa.