The concept of state fragility that has gained prominence within the development and security agenda focuses very much on deficiencies and shortcomings of governance in so-called fragile states. In contrast, the concept of hybrid political order takes a more positive outlook by focusing on the strength and resilience of sociopolitical formations that are present on the ground, that work, and that provide public goods for people and communities.

Hybrid Political Orders, Not Fragile States

This article provides a critical review of recent literature which has attempted to define what a 'failed state' is and explain why such states emerge. It is argued that aggregate indices of 'failure' are misleading due to the wide variations of capacity across state functions within a polity. The focus on ranking states also distracts attention away from analyses concerning the dynamics of state capacity. Moreover, many of the definitions either compare reality to a Weberian ideal, or assume that violence is 'development in reverse', both of which are ahistorical and unhelpful as a guide to policy. The second part of the paper assesses the contributions of functionalist, 'new war', and neo-Tillean approaches to explaining state failure. The paper finds that while these theories take concrete historical situations seriously, they have important theoretical and empirical shortcomings. Finally, the conclusion outlines an agenda for further research.

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Conceptualising the causes and consequences of failed states: a critical review of the literature

http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/PDF/Outputs/CrisisStates/WP5.2.pdf

No ownership, no peace: the darfur peace agreement

Conceptualizations of the informal sector in terms of economic dualism have a long history, as have effective challenges to those conceptualizations. These are discussed in this paper, which then examines the dynamics of the urban informal sector in sub-Saharan Africa over recent decades, with reference to these theoretical conceptualization and other approaches. The paper then discusses the role of the state in relation to the informal sector, exemplifying in particular with reference to Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also considers briefly the dynamics of rural-urban migration to African cities and the role of this in urban processes, including employment. Finally the paper offers a comparative perspective, from north of the Limpopo, on current debates and policy pronouncements about the informal sector in South Africa.

http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/PDF/Outputs/CrisisStates/wp18.2.pdf

Gabi Hesselbein

Papers

Economic and political foundations of state-making in Africa: understanding state reconstruction