Limited Statehood and Informal Governance in the Middle East and Africa

Hybrid forms of governance – where the central state authority does not possess a monopoly of violence and fails to exercise control – are not only an epiphenomena, but a reality likely to persist. This book explores this phenomenon drawing on examples from the Middle East and Africa. It considers the different sorts of actors – state and non-state, public and private, national and transnational – which possess power, examines the dynamics of the relationships between central authorities and other actors, and reviews the varying outcomes. The book provides an alternative view of the way in which governance has been constructed and lived, puts forward a conceptualisation of various forms of governance which have hitherto been regarded as exceptions, and argues for such forms of governance to be regarded as part of the norm.

Ruth Hanau Santini is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Università L’Orientale, Naples

Abel Polese is Senior Research Fellow at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Ireland, and Tallinn Law School, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

Rob Kevlihan is Consultative Director at the Shanahan Research Group and Managing Director of Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd., both based in Ireland.