In this paper, we introduce a method of modeling and measuring effective

government at the individual level. Our focus is on African states in which famines

remain a serious threat. If a government is effective, it should be able to deliver goods

that individuals need in order to improve their social welfare. At the minimum, an

effective government provides an environment in which all citizens enjoy reliable access

to sufficient amounts of food. Using multilevel modeling, we analyze data from the

individual, neighborhood, district, and country levels from seventeen sub-Saharan

countries sampled in 2005 by Afrobarometer. We find that those citizens who enjoy high

levels of food security are those who live in neighborhoods and in countries with high

levels of bureaucratic competence and honesty, law and order, and infrastructure

provision. Our results suggest that by improving the quality and quantity of certain

institutions that we demonstrate are linked to food security at the individual level, a

government can improve its effectiveness.