Informal order and the state in Afghanistan / Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murtazashvili, Jennifer Brick, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Local government--Afghanistan.

Local government.

Central-local government relations--Afghanistan.

Central-local government relations.

Afghanistan--Politics and government--2001-2021.

Afghanistan.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xxxvii, 325 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Summary:

"Despite vast efforts to build the state, profound political order in rural Afghanistan is maintained by self-governing, customary organizations. Informal Order and the State in Afghanistan explores the rules governing these organizations to explain why they can provide public goods. Instead of withering during decades of conflict, customary authority adapted to become more responsive and deliberative. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and observations from dozens of villages across Afghanistan, and statistical analysis of nationally representative surveys, Jennifer Murtazashvili demonstrates that such authority enhances citizen support for democracy, enabling the rule of law by providing citizens with a bulwark of defence against predatory state officials. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it shows that 'traditional' order does not impede the development of the state because even the most independent minded communities see a need for a central government - but question its effectiveness when it attempts to rule them directly and without substantive consultation"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; Part I. The Politics of Customary Governance: 2. The Afghan state in historical perspective; 3. The architecture of village governance; Part II. Customary Governance and Public Goods Provision: 4. The political economy of village governance; 5. Cooperation among communities; Part III. Customary Governance and the State: 6. Customary organizations and support for the state; 7. Federalism, Afghan style; 8. Conclusion.

Notes:

Based on the author's thesis (doctoral - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009) issued under title: The Microfoundations of State Building: Informal Institutions and Local Public Goods in Rural Afghanistan.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781107113992

1107113997

OCLC:

923547259

Online:

Cover image