Governed differently: The political economy of state absence in Africa
The phrase "ungoverned spaces" has become a bureaucratic reflex. From the Sahel to the Horn, from the Lake Chad Basin to eastern Congo, policymakers and security analysts deploy it to describe territories where the formal state appears to have evaporated. The diagnosis is seductive in its simplicity: where the state is absent, violence proliferates; where institutions collapse, extremism takes…
Governance in African territories labeled as "ungoverned" is not truly empty, but rather governed differently through alternative institutional arrangements. This nuanced perspective challenges the simplistic narrative that assumes state absence equates to a vacuum waiting to be filled. By recognizing the complex landscape of authority, policymakers can shift the focus from military intervention to addressing the historical neglect and political choices that have led to the creation of layered and overlapping systems of power.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
