Conrad Schetter

Local State‐Building in Afghanistan and Somaliland

The local dynamics of state-building are shaped mainly by the reproduction modes and legitimization strategies of local elites who use the appropriation of material and immaterial (for example, reputation) resources not only for enriching themselves, but also for securing legitimacy from relevant segments of the population. The composition and relative strength of local elites is a decisive factor for the direction in which ‘‘fragile states,’’ or even countries that have experienced state collapse, are heading. Such elites may include warlords, revitalized traditional and religious authorities, remnants of the former state administration, party officials, local businessmen, influential intellectuals, repatriates from the diaspora, and so on. By offering themselves as ‘‘hybrid’’ providers (traditional-state-private) of public goods, they are able to position themselves as ‘‘functional equivalents’’ of the state.