Local governance networks as public authority: Insights from Mozambique, Myanmar and Pakistan
| Published date | 01 July 2024 |
| Author | Anuradha Joshi,Colin Anderson,Katrina Barnes,Egidio Chaimite,Miguel Loureiro,Alex Shankland |
| Date | 01 July 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13363 |
48
|
Global Policy. 2024;15(Suppl. 4):48 –59.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gpol
1 | GOVERNANCE IN
CONFLICT- AFFECTED SETTINGS
In the past decade, work on governance in settings af-
fected by conflict and fragility is character ised by three
related shifts. The first is a focus on ‘publi c authority’
that moves thinking beyond state institutions to other
institutions and actors that perform fun ctions of the
state, and in doing so blur the perceived boundaries
of state and non- state action and authority (Hoffman
& Kirk,2 013; Kirk & Allen,20 21; Meagher etal.,2014 ;
Tapscott,2017). The key insight here is that state insti -
tutions form only a part of the bricolag e of institutions
that have influence on public behaviour; other institu-
tions, norms and practices carr y significant weight in
explaining governance outcomes. The second is t he
‘local turn’ in conflict and peace stud ies, which em-
phasises the processes and actors /institutions and
their agency at the local level, and opens the possi-
bilities of hybridity of governance when liberal inter-
national agendas confront local realitie s (Mac Ginty &
Richmond,2 013; Paffenholz,2 017). The third and re -
lated shift is a growing focus on governance intermed i-
aries—those who link citizens to publi c authority at the
local level—and their role in hel ping the poor access
services (Auerbach & Kruks- Wisner,2020; Auerbach &
Thachil,2018; K irk,2023; Themnér & Utas,2016).
This paper contributes to these emerging shif ts by
using a public authority lens to under stand local gover-
nance insituations of conflict, fragility and viole nce. We
draw on what we call ‘governance diaries,’ which used
repeated interviews with a set of households and inter-
mediaries in three countries— Mozambique, Myanmar
and Pakistan—to understand how marginalised groups
meet their daily governance needs. We argue that in
these contexts of fragility, public authority is embe d-
ded in, and exercised through, local governance net-
works. These networks encompass a rang e of local
actors (state and non- state), who help develop and
enforce rules and ensure social coordin ation. We high-
light the role of intermediaries, who are the lynch pins
of these networks, and who constitute the first po int of
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Local governance networks as public authority: Insights
from Mozambique, Myanmar and Pakistan
AnuradhaJoshi1 | ColinAnderson1 | KatrinaBarnes2 | EgidioChaimite3 |
MiguelLoureiro1 | AlexShankland1
Received: 6 Septe mber 2023
|
Revised: 30 Januar y 2024
|
Accepted: 26 Febru ary 2024
DO I: 10 .1111/17 58- 589 9.13 363
This is an open ac cess article under t he terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.
© 2024 The Authors. G lobal Policy publ ished by Durham Universi ty and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
1Institute of Develop ment Studies,
University of S ussex, Brighton, UK
2Oxfam GB, Oxfo rd, UK
3IESE, Maputo, Mozam bique
Correspondence
Anuradha Joshi, Institute of Development
Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton
BN1 6RE, UK.
Email: a.joshi@ids.ac.uk
Funding information
Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Of fice,
Grant/Award Numb er: 204427- 101
Abstract
Drawing upon ‘governance diaries,’ a method which used repeated interv iews
with a set of households and intermediaries in thre e countries—Mozambique,
Myanmar and Pakistan—to understan d how marginalised groups meet their
daily governance needs, we argue that local governance net works constitute a
form of public authority. The networks we examine encompass a rang e of local
actors (state and non- state), who help develop and enforce rules and ensure
social coordination. We highlight the role of interme diaries who constitute the
first point of contact for people seeking to reso lve various issues. We show how
these intermediaries and their networks are spe cific to each context, not just
at a national level, but down to a granular local level. Decision- making and the
exercise of power moves around within the networks, blurring formal/inform al
boundaries. We conclude that in these context s of fragility, public authority is
embedded in and exercised through loc al governance networks.
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