Informal Order and the State in Afghanistan

Despite efforts to build the state, profound political order in rural Afghanistan is maintained by self-governing, customary organizations.

List of contents

1. Introduction; Part I. The Politics of Customary Governance: 2. The Afghan state in historical perspective; 3. The architecture of village governance; Part II. Customary Governance and Public Goods Provision: 4. The political economy of village governance; 5. Cooperation among communities; Part III. Customary Governance and the State: 6. Customary organizations and support for the state; 7. Federalism, Afghan style; 8. Conclusion.

About the author

Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science and M.A. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research focuses on state building, public administration, social institutions, and governance in fragile states.

Summary

Despite efforts to build the state, profound political order in rural Afghanistan is maintained by self-governing, customary organizations. This book explores the rules governing these organizations to explain why they can provide public goods. Instead of withering during decades of conflict, customary authority adapted to become more responsive.

Product details

• Authors: Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Jennifer Brick (University of Pitts Murtazashvili, Jennifer Brick (University of Pittsburgh) Murtazashvili, Murtazashvili Jennifer Brick
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 21.04.2016
• EAN: 9781107113992
• ISBN: 978-1-107-11399-2
• No. of pages: 364
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Afghanistan, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Asian, Politics & government, Politics and government