Collapsing ‘Government’, Emerging ‘Governances’

Contrary to widespread belief, the collapse of ‘government’ does not automatically entail the collapse of ‘governance’. In a setting of ‘unstable’ livelihoods, households’ coping strategies, coupled with the social entrepreneurship of non-state actors create new local, arguably more contentious, ‘governances’. In this setting, even if weakened, the role of the state is nonetheless important and a peacebuilding strategy cannot be effective if it is kept out of equation. International support to processes of state building as part of conflict transformation must involve Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as key actors, while engaging with top, mid and grassroots levels of society, allowing CSOs to act as active intermediaries between the three levels.