The term state capture was first used to describe a pervasive form of meta-corruption in former Soviet bloc states after the Cold War. In this edited volume, leading voices on democracy and governance in Africa explore the applicability of the idea to the African context and ask the question: 'How “captured” are African states in 2018?’ Despite the fact that regular elections have become the norm on the continent, the attainment and consolidation of substantive democracy, including socioeconomic transformation and social justice, remain elusive for many African democracies, even some of those viewed as relatively mature. One of the key prerequisites for the consolidation of democracy is that there should be established 'rules of the game'. State capture undermines these rules by eroding democratic processes and state institutions, thus depriving citizens of the rights and benefits that should be provided by the state. This leads to a system in which power is systematically diverted from citizens, unravelling democratic gains and socioeconomic transformation. The contributors to this volume explore the concept of state capture and its place in democratic discourse in Africa, analysing examples ranging from South Africa to Madagascar, the United States to the former Soviet bloc, in an effort to contribute meaningfully to the debate about the consolidation of transitional democracies.