| ID | 171931 |
| Title Proper | Fragility within stability |
| Other Title Information | the state, the clan and political resilience in Somaliland |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Richards, Rebecca |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Even in the context of a relatively flourishing state, fragility can be an enduring feature of a political system, particularly in the case of recently established or unrecognised states. This article examines the nature of state-building in a specific context to question the assumption that forms of hybrid governance or pre-existing forms of governance are a necessary evil to be tolerated but which needs ultimately to be overcome during state-building. It does this by adopting the language of resilience and focusing on the case of Somaliland to highlight the role of clan governance as a mechanism of political resilience and as a means of promoting the flexibility required for state-building. Yet, at the same time, the process of state-building often involves formalising governance and limiting the role of traditional social-political forms of governance such as clans, ignoring their role in legitimating and stabilising the political system. However, as this article argues, stability and fragility are inextricably linked; while the clan system has been an important force in stabilising the state, it has also become a pressure point for the state’s latent fragility. By contextualising fragility and stability within the language of resilience, though, this symbiotic relationship can be better analysed. |
| `In' analytical Note | Third World Quarterly Vol. 41, No.6; 2020: p.1067-1083 |
| Journal Source | Third World Quarterly Vol: 41 No, 6 |
| Key Words | State-Building ; Resilience ; Fragile States ; Somaliland ; Hybrid Governance |