In this chapter he discusses the "new political economy" or public choice economics.
Staniland seems fairly favorably disposed toward public choice, though he has some criticisms of its application to development economics by some.
He summarizes some books on third world development written in a public choice framework. Rather than try to summarize his summaries, I'll quote what he criticized or approved in the analyses.
Bates's analysis, in fact, goes a long way toward meeting the demands of political critics of economics. It preserves the emphasis on the ratinal, individual maximizer characteristic of the rational choice school, but it avoids several problems to which this approach is prone. One is a tendency to equate self-interest with antisocial and apolitical behavior rather than with a habit of rational calculation. Another is a related tendency to trivialize or discoutn altogether the dimensions of power and inequality by disregarding the institutional and organizational structures through which they are expressed and reinforced... It is unreasonable and unrealistic to conceive of a whole political system as an arena in which perfect competition and perfect information obtain... (p. 60-61)
Here's some ciritcism of another book:
Completely lacking from [Rothchild's and Curry's] analysis is any conception of the actual distribution of power and status, any recognition of the political conflict and competition as a reality more enduring than the "obstacles to development" so often confronted by the older generation fo development economists. (p. 67)
In his conclusion:
The virtue of Bates' approach, by contrast, is that it posits a wrking relationship between the pursuit of individual interest and the establishment of political "coalitions" -- between market choices of individuals and the political strategies of groups (or the lack of them). It thus acknowledges the impact of institutions and organizations upon the individual actor, whether a person or a government and incorporates politics into political economy. (p 69)
Staniland, M. (1985). The new political economy. in What is Political Economy?: A Study of Social Theory and Underdevelopment. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.