PhD Project:

Governance after State Collapse -
The Case of Somaliland

Since September 11, wars accompanied by the erosion of statehood and the establishment of structures of violence beyond state control are ranked high on the international political agenda. Formerly neglected, "hopeless cases" such as Somalia have regained attention.

Against this background, this PhD project undertakes qualitatively orientated field studies examining the political and societal dimensions of governance structures emerging after state collapse. Its main objective is to learn what factors led and lead to the formation of relatively stable, socially accountable and legitimate structures of governance that are capable of and willing to abolish arbitrary violence. To this end, it scrutinizes the formation and transformation of Somaliland's governance structures, seeking to understand how and why they function and survive. Emphasis is placed on governance aspects that relate to conflict, which is inextricably found at the center of governance emergence processes in the aftermath of violent state collapse.

Academically, the study distinguishes itself by particular attention to sub-national governance structures (of the three regions Awdal, Sanaag and Togdheer), and their interplay with the national level.

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