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Governance discourse centers on an "ideal type" of modern statehood that exhibits full internal and external sovereignty as well as a legitimate monopoly on the use of force. Yet modern statehood is actually an anomaly, both historically and within the current international system, whereas the condition of "limited statehood," wherein countries lack the capacity to implement central decisions and monopolize force, is the norm. But areas of limited statehood, argue the authors in this collection, are not wholly ungoverned or ungovernable spaces. Rather, the provision of public goods and services is possible even under adverse conditions.Challenging common assumptions about sovereign states and the evolution of modern statehood, this volume explores strategies for effective and legitimate governance within a framework of weak and ineffective state institutions. Approaching the problem from the perspectives of political science, history, and law, contributors explore the involvement of nonstate actors and nonhierarchical modes of political influence. They also analyze security governance by nonstate actors, the contribution of public-private partnerships to promote the United Nations Millennium Goals, the role of business in environmental governance, and the problems of Western state-building efforts.
Summary
Governance discourse centers on an "ideal type" of modern statehood that exhibits full internal and external sovereignty as well as a legitimate monopoly on the use of force. Yet modern statehood is actually an anomaly, both historically and within the current international system, whereas the condition of "limited statehood," wherein countries lack the capacity to implement central decisions and monopolize force, is the norm. But areas of limited statehood, argue the authors in this collection, are not wholly ungoverned or ungovernable spaces. Rather, the provision of public goods and services is possible even under adverse conditions.Challenging common assumptions about sovereign states and the evolution of modern statehood, this volume explores strategies for effective and legitimate governance within a framework of weak and ineffective state institutions. Approaching the problem from the perspectives of political science, history, and law, contributors explore the involvement of nonstate actors and nonhierarchical modes of political influence. They also analyze security governance by nonstate actors, the contribution of public-private partnerships to promote the United Nations Millennium Goals, the role of business in environmental governance, and the problems of Western state-building efforts.
