Livelihoods, Basic Services and Social Protection in South Sudan
By Daniel Maxwell, Kirsten Gelsdorf and Martina Santschi. Overseas Development Institute. July 2012.
Since its emergence as a newly independent country in mid-2011, South Sudan has navigated a fragile and ongoing process of state building. Rapid urbanization, a preponderant and still expanding oil sector, and conflicts between emerging and customary land tenure systems are fueling disputes and corruption and weakening the fledgling government. To better understand and meet the needs of its citizenry and consolidate notable advances in agricultural production and the informal economy, the state will need to gather, analyze, and manage information relevant for policymaking.
Download the article: [PDF]Stabilizing Fragile States
By Joseph Siegle. Global Dialogue, July 2011.
Stabilizing fragile states is a central security challenge of the twenty-first century. Fragile states pose a seemingly intractable problem, but there has in fact been a commendable record of stabilizing post-conflict and transitioning states over the past two decades. Success requires integrated political, security, and development efforts, sustained over time and focused on the overarching challenge: building legitimate and effective state structures that can earn and maintain the support of their populations.
Download the article: [PDF]Avoiding the Fragility Trap in Africa
By Noro Aina Andrimihaja, Matthias Cinyabuguma, and Shantayanan Devarajan. The World Bank, November 2011.
Nearly half of all states in Africa are classified by the World Bank as fragile, and most are stuck in a “fragility trap” – those states designated fragile in 2000 were likely to remain so 10 years later. However, assistance and development programs that enhance three core areas, preventing violence, strengthening property rights, and reducing corruption, have managed to help pull countries out of the trap or prevent others from falling into it.
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Stress-Testing South Africa: The Tenuous Foundations of One of Africa’s Stable States
By Assis Malaquias. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, July 2011.
Political violence in South Africa is worsening and indicates the country’s potential fragility. Since the end of apartheid, steadily rising inequality has deepened the divide between a wealthy minority and a poor majority. Frustration with an uneven pace of change often ignites into violent protest. Elite competition for financial and political resources available through the state also drives violence within and between competing political parties, usually at the local level where intimidation and assassination are sometimes used to ensure electoral success. Much competition exists in a grey area where the distinction between politics and crime is blurred.
South Africans still overwhelmingly support the democratic process and view the government as legitimate. From this foundation the state can move to head off emerging political violence and stem ebbing public trust. This will require breaking up the current intertwining of political authority and economic opportunity. Citizens must also see tangible evidence that government is interested in the socioeconomic priorities of ordinary people.
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Supporting Statebuilding in Situations of Conflict and Fragility: Policy Guidance
By The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2011.
Functioning states are essential to conflict prevention, regional stability, and poverty reduction, yet state fragility remains widespread and currently impacts tens of millions of Africans. Key elements of stabilization strategies include security and justice, revenue and expenditure management, and job creation, but priority should be placed on inclusive state-society interaction and accountability at all times and levels.
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Users’ Guide to Measuring Fragility
By German Development Institute and UN Development Programme, 2009.
The increasing centrality of the concept of state fragility to security and development policymaking has prompted the creation of numerous fragility indices in recent years. However, each index uses different combinations of variables to determine fragility and therefore has varying applicability to different policy and planning needs. Typically, a comparative analysis of indices can yield a more complete picture of stability dynamics within fragile states.
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