Latest Development as State-making Publications:

OP 5: 'Domestic Ownership or Foreign Control? A Content Analysis of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers from Eight Countries'

DP 15 'Do inclusive elite bargains matter? A research framework for understanding the causes of civil war in Sub-Saharan Africa'

WP 28.2 'Collapse, War and Reconstruction in Rwanda: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 27.2 'Collapse, War and reconstruction in Uganda: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 26.2 'Drivers of Change in the Democratic Republic of Congo: The Rise and Decline of the State and Challenges For Reconstruction -          A Literature Review'

WP 25.2 'Conceptualising the Causes and Consequences of Failed States: A Critical Review of the Literature'

Retaining Legitimacy in Fragile States - special issue of 'iD21 insights' edited by James Putzel

Link to Cities and Fragile States theme

Link to Regional Organisations, Peace and Security theme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Development as State-Making

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The first component of the research involves a systematic Small N comparative study of processes of state collapse (and state resilience), war and reconstruction at the national level. Starting from criteria based on countries’ experiences with state collapse and war we have chosen a set of eight states to study in detail, and eight further comparators where work will be primarily based on secondary materials. The central research questions to be answered are:

 

1) Why and how, under conditions of late development, are some fragile states able to respond effectively to contestation while others collapse and/or experience large-scale violence?

 

2) What are the factors that contribute to and impede state reconstruction in post-war periods?

 

We aim to explain, at a given point in time, whether a state is moving towards collapse or away from it and what causes such movement. We evaluate the condition of a state by looking at processes of institutional change and contestation in five domains, or sub-systems of the state: security, administrative, legal, political and economic management. In fragile states, each of these domains is contested terrain where the authority of state actors and the formal institutions through which they rule are challenged by various non-state actors, often anchored in alternative institutional arrangements. Those patterns of contestation and “institutional multiplicity” are central objects of our investigation.

Primary case studies are being undertaken in Afghanistan, Colombia, DR Congo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, with secondary research being undertaken in Angola, Ecuador, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sudan and Tajikistan.

 

Related Papers:

WP 28.2 'Collapse, War and Reconstruction in Rwanda: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 27.2 'Collapse, War and reconstruction in Uganda: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 26.2 'Drivers of Change in the Democratic Republic of Congo: The Rise and Decline of the State and Challenges For Reconstruction -  A Literature Review'

WP 25.2 'Conceptualising the Causes and Consequences of Failed States: A Critical Review of the Literature'

WP 24.2 'District Creation and Decentralisation in Uganda'

WP 23.2 'Strong Party, Weak State? Frelimo and State Survival Through the Mozambican Civil War: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 22.2 'Policing, Regime Change, and Democracy: Reflections from the Case of Mexico'

WP 21.2 'The Rise and Decline of the Congolese State: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 19.2 ' Violent Liberalism? State, conflict and political regime in Colombia, 1930-2006: an analytical narrative on state-making'

WP 14.2 'Understanding State-building and Local Government in Afghanistan', Sarah Lister

WP 12.2 'Making Law in Rural East Africa: SunguSungu in Kenya', Suzette Heald

WP 11.2 'The Missing Ingredient: non-ideological insurgency and state collapse in Westrn Afghanistan, 1979-1992'

WP 8.2 'Identifying Fraud in Democratic Elections: a case study of the 2004 presidential election in Mozambique'

WP 7.2 '"Tribes" and warlords in Southern Afghanistan, 1980-2005'

WP 6.2 'The Failure of a Clerical Proto-State: Hazarajat, 1979-1984'

WP 4.2 'Genesis of a Prince: the rise of Ismail Khan in Western Afghanistan, 1979-1992'

WP 3.2 'Economic and Political Foundations of State-making in Africa: understanding state reconstruction'

WP 2.2 'Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration of ex-combatants (DDR) in Afghanistan: constraints and limited capabilities'

WP 1.2 'War, State Collapse and Reconstruction: phase 2 of the Crisis States Research Programme'