Statehood & Conflict

Since the end of the Cold War, issues of poor public governance, weak institutions and state collapse have held centre stage in research as well as in policy work on statehood in non-OECD countries. So-called 'weak' or 'failed' states thus came to be considered as security threats in the aftermaths of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and they are generally considered a stumbling block on the road to development or as an obstacle to peacebuilding. But clearly labelling such states as 'weak', 'fragile', 'collapsed' or 'rogue' is not enough, and studying their actual contours and shape as well as understanding the way they operate is of central relevance to both academics and practitioners.

This approach is at the core of the program 'Statehood & Conflict'. By researching the day-to-day practices of states in conflict and post-conflict contexts we try to understand how new forms of statehood emerge as the result of negotiation processes between local, national and international actors. On the basis of solid empirical research in non-OECD countries, the Statehood &Conflict program contributes to academic debates on the state. It also brings together practitioners and researchers concerned with understanding, dealing with and engaging states in context of institutional and political instability, as well as providing consulting services to partners and clients.

Member of NCCR North-South

Partners

Addis Ababa University Department of Political Science and International Relations 
Centre for African Studies University of Basel
Centre for Development and Environment University of Bern
Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan
Development Study Group Department of Geography, University of Zurich
Université de Bouaké Côte d'Ivoire