Limited Statehood Does Not Equal Civil War

Bibliographic Data

ID9685850
AuthorsThomas Risse (0000-0002-4155-7230, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, corresponding author), Eric Stollenwerk (0000-0002-7768-0214, Hertie School)
Year2018
Volume147
Issue1
Pages104-115
Publication date2018-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDaedalus (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0011-5266 • E-ISSN: 1548-6192
PublisherMIT Press - Journals (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1162/daed_a_00477
OpenAlexW2782347868
LanguageEN
Citations received8

Limited statehood is frequently depicted as a major cause for civil war and violent conflict. Consequently, state-building efforts are often considered to be an effective tool for the prevention of civil war and violent conflict. This essay argues, however, that this assumption is misguided in several respects. First, at present and historically, areas of limited statehood are the global default rather than the exception. Thus, efforts to eliminate limited statehood would likely be unsuccessful. Second, limited statehood does not equal civil war and violence. In fact, only a small fraction of areas of limited statehood are affected by civil war. Third, a too-narrow focus on state-building may be counterproductive, as it may foster ineffective or even predatory state institutions. Such a focus also ignores the plurality of governance actors beyond the state that are relevant for effective governance–such as service provision and rule-making–in areas of limited statehood. Therefore, external actors like international organizations and foreign powers should contribute to governance-building rather than state-building, with a focus on service provision and rule-making institutions with a broader scope than the state

Civil society · Corporate governance · Development economics · Economics · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Scope (computer science · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · State (computer science · State-building · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Religion and Society Interactions

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