Decentralisation through the Lens of the Failed State

In: Civil wars, Volume 5, Issue 2, p. 122-139

Abstract

As international donors intervene in the policy decisions of weak or so-called failed states, systems are once more externally imposed, seeking to reform state institutions in their own image. This article suggests that pressure placed on contemporary African states, to control, protect, & provide for all within their borders, have in fact enabled failed regimes to manipulate conditionalities to counter legitimate political opposition. Furthermore, the imposition of decentralized structures by a weak center fundamentally assumes that there is something to decentralize, & fails to recognize the role of citizenry in formulating appropriate demands & structures that would ideally formulate the basis of a modern, inclusive, & strong state. Adapted from the source document.