This article, which forms the introduction to a collection of studies, focuses on processes of
state construction and deconstruction in contemporary Africa. Its objective is to better …

In the aftermath of an armed conflict in Africa, the international community both produces
and demands from local partners a variety of blueprints for reconstructing state and society …

Much of the current literature on state failure and collapse suffers from serious conceptual
flaws. It ignores the variegated types of empirical statehood that exist on the ground, it …

In this special issue we broaden the academic debate on rebel governance by examining
additional armed actors–militias, police and foreign intervenors, and the 'layers' of …

This article discusses the reorganisation and fragmentation of political rule in the Nigerian
Niger Delta from the end of the 1990s until today. It details empirical evidence on the …

Since the spatial turn in the social sciences, impressive advances have been made in
analysing the interrelations between social organization and processes and space, place …

The labels' state fragility'and'civil war'suggest that security within several African countries
has broken down. As Tim Glawion observes, however, while people do experience …

In newly independent South Sudan, the state's not yet fully demarcated territory plays an
intriguing and in certain aspects contradictory role in shaping and defining personal and …

Andrew Taylor provides an overview of the origins, evolution, and impact of state failure
since the 1990s. Avoiding quickly outdated country-based case studies, he focuses on …

Our article analyzes how transitioning political institutions create incentives and
disincentives for opposition groups to incite different forms of political violence. We argue …