Vol. 5 No. 1 (2020): Theories of Statehood and Multi-level Governance

This special issue revisits notions of governance and statehood in the developing world, exploring notions of extended statehood and multi-level governance in Africa and beyond. The articles here challenge some of the mainstream assumptions and notions of statehood that have often been imposed on or encouraged within developing world contexts, regardless of the realities found within these dynamic, complex societies. This issue posits that a post-Weberian model of Extended Statehood has better applicability within the realities of multi-level governance found in the developing world.

This special issue is part of the African Leadership Centre's ongoing research on Peace, Society, and the State in Africa, which interrogates the state in Africa (and elsewhere) in relation to the challenges of peacebuilding, as well as conflict and insecurity. Specifically, it is part of Research Cluster 2, which critically interrogates extant and dominant theories of statehood across the ideological spectrum and their utility for different contexts across time.