Localized Governance in the Midst of Anarchy: The Role of Non-state Actors in Somalia's Nation-State Building.

摘要

This research explores alternative policies that can contribute to the revival of collapsed states. Focusing on governance as a key factor to state rebuilding, it examines the roles of non-state actors in nation-state rebuilding. The existing literature of the state has no point of reference, pays little attention, and lacks an account of how actors proceed to exercise power or how to reconstitute and return the power inherited by non-state actors to the new state. Drawing on empirical evidence from the collapse of the Somali state in 1991, this study confirms that while non-state actors might contribute to the development of social, economic, and political spheres, they create obstacles in the reconstruction of the state.;Therefore, a key step in in anticipating the best approach to revive the state is to understand the role of non-state actors within the context of local governance. Centering the analysis on the role of non-state actors, the study interviewed 43 participants from the public, the state, and non-state actors. The findings reveal that involuntary decentralization from the national to the clan-based community level and evolving social capital shaped the social, economic, and political governance that are taking root at community and regional levels. To expand these developments to the national level requires strengthening local governance institutions and improving partnerships between the state and non-state actors. The state can take its power and legitimacy back by resuming its managerial role while recognizing the contribution of non-state actors and indigenous institutions. The study concludes that all state rebuilding efforts should support advancing the emergence of a democratic state that respects and includes the role of non-state actors.