The immediate tasks in 2002 in Afghanistan were to stabilise the country and build a legitimate and functioning state, and a viable economy. Despite some significant progress in building state institutions and infrastructure as well as expanding public services, Afghanistan remains fragile and...

This paper uses a qualitative research method. Based on key informant interviews conducted in Afghanistan, policy dialogues with different stakeholders, as well as the analysis of government documents and published and unpublished literature, this paper examines the existing planning and...

The case of Papua New Guinea (PNG) shows the difficulty of forging a national identity and creating effective state institutions. State weakness and societal fragmentation are dominant. The archipelago nature of the country has had a dominant role in the latter. Politics in this context shows a...

The effectiveness and legitimacy of a public organisation may depend to a large degree not only on institutional arrangement but also on the behavior of actors within institutions and the interactions between the two.This paper argues that beliefs, in the form of identity, norms, and narratives,...

The aid effectiveness principles have limits if the recipient is fragile. The problem of relevance exists if the recipient has an authoritarian or totalitarian regime. In situations of weak statehood and fragility, a large portion of aid would likely bypass the state because of high demand for...

Under what conditions does foreign aid in the aftermath of war foster state-building? This article argues that institutional legacy and continuity and the politics of aid may matter. In the aftermath of war, for an aid regime to reinforce state-building, it may need to ensure continuity in the...

Part I of this article found that, in South Korea and Taiwan, institutional legacy and continuity as well as the politics of aid did matter for post-war state-building. The inheritance and continuity of Weberian states and the receipt of aid either as budget support or increasingly aligned with...

This paper aims to examine economic prospects and challenges for a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan. In doing so, it explores the state of the economy and conflict, prospects for a political settlement, priorities and the political economy. The paper uses primary and secondary data from the...