SFB 700:  Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood: New Modes of Governance?

• Subject Area: Social and Behavioural Sciences ; Humanities
• Term: from 2006 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 15088804

Research Topic: The governance problematique constitutes a central research focus in contemporary social sciences. Yet, the debate remains centred on an "ideal type" of the modern nation-state - with full sovereignty and a legitimate monopoly over the use of force. However, from a global as well as historical perspective the Western modern state is an exception rather than the rule. Outside the developed world, we find areas of "limited statehood", from developing and transition countries to failing and failed states in today's conflict zones and - historically - in colonial societies. The Collaborative Research Centre focusses on these areas of limited statehood, which lack the capacity to implement and enforce central decisions or even lack the monopoly over the means of violence.
Research Question: How can effective and legitimate governance be sustained in areas of limited statehood? Which problems emerge under these conditions? We assume that "multi-level governance" is the rule in areas of limited statehood, linking the local with the national, regional, and global levels. We also assume that governance in areas of limited statehood involves a variety of public and private actors, such as states, international organisations, firms, and civil society.
Governance entails negotiations, bargaining, and arguing among these actors rather than hierarchical "command and control".
Research Projects: Individual research projects from multiple disciplines such as political science, history, law and economics provide the empirical basis for our research. Our unique contribution consists of the combination of systematic social science with detailed historical and contemporary area expertise. The individual projects focus on modes of governance in three policy fields that also form the research areas of the Collaborative Research Centre: political authority and the rule of law; security; and the provision of welfare, clean environment, and other public goods.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A01 - Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood: Contributions to Theory-Building (Project Heads Lehmkuhl, Ursula ;  Risse, Thomas )
• A02 - Weiche Steuerung: Sozialwissenschaftliche Machttheorien und das Regieren in Räumen begrenzter Staatlichkeit (Project Head Göhler, Gerhard )
• B02 - The Governance Contribution of External Actors in Areas of Limited Statehood (Project Head Börzel, Tanja A. )
• B04 - Wissen und Herrschaft: Scientific colonialism in den deutschen und japanischen Kolonien, 1884-1937 (Project Head Conrad, Sebastian )
• B06 - Challenging Local Governance Institutions: Decentralization in Morocco and Jordan (Project Head Harders, Cilja )
• B07 - Law and Rule of Law in Areas of Limited Statehood (Project Head Schuppert, Gunnar Folke )
• B08 - Evaluating International and Transnational Governance Institutions in Areas of Limited Statehood through Public International Law (Project Head Rudolf, Beate )
• B09 - The Realization of Human Rights and the Right of Collective Self-Determination Under Conditions of Limited Statehood (Project Head Ladwig, Bernd )
• B10 - Legal Certainty and Public Order as a Common Task of Secular and Ecclesiastic Institutions (8th to 11th cent.). (Project Head Esders, Stefan )
• B13 - Adaption and Legitimacy as Explanatory Factors for Governance Effectiveness in China, 1949 to 1957 (Project Head Mühlhahn, Klaus )
• C01 - Transnationale Kooperationspartnerschaften und die Gewährleistung von Sicherheit in Räumen begrenzter Staatlichkeit (Project Heads Schneckener, Ulrich ;  Zürcher, Christoph )
• C02 - 'No state nowhere?' Variations and Consequences of Non-state Control of Violence (Project Head Chojnacki, Sven )
• C03 - Police-Building and Transnational Security Transfers in Latin-America (Project Heads Braig, Marianne ;  Maihold, Günther ;  Müller, Markus-Michael )
• C04 - Modes of Governance and the Taking of the Land: White Settlers in Contact with Indigenous Societies in North America (1789-1851) and Australia (1788-1850) (Project Heads Finzsch, Norbert ;  Lehmkuhl, Ursula )
• C06 - The Politics of State- and Security-Building in Areas of Limited Statehood (Project Head Schröder, Ursula )
• C08 - Legitimacy and Norm-Creation in International Humanitarian Law (Project Head Krieger, Heike )
• C09 - Aid, Mind, Hearts: A Longitudinal Study of Governance Interventions in Afghanistan (Project Head Daxner, Michael )
• C10 - Alternatives to State Security Provision in Areas of Very Limited Statehood (Central African Republic and South Sudan) (Project Head Mehler, Andreas )
• C11 - The Contribution of Public International Law to the Realization of Security Governance by External Actors in Areas of Limited Statehood (Project Head Geiß, Robin )
• D01 - Transnational Partnerships for Sustainable Development in Areas of Limited Statehood: Impact, Success Conditions and Meta-Governance (Project Heads Beisheim, Marianne ;  Liese, Andrea )
• D02 - Does Modern Statehood Make a Difference? Business and Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood (Project Head Börzel, Tanja A. )
• D03 - Emerging Modes of Governance and Climate Protection: Green Companies in Newly Industrializing Countries (Project Head Fuhr, Harald )
• D04 - Sovereign Debt and Crisis Management in Areas of Limited Statehood: Bargaining vs. Creditor Litigation (Project Head Enderlein, Henrik )
• D05 - Food Supply and Security in Warlord China (1912-1928): Forms of Governance in Transitorial Spaces (Project Head Leutner, Mechthild )
• D06 - Remittances als Beitrag zu finanzieller Entwicklung und makroökonomischer Stabilisierung? Potential und Governance-Formen (Project Head Fritz, Barbara )
• D07 - Knowledge, Property, and Resistance: Governance of Intellectual Property Rights in India and Brazil (Project Head Lütz, Susanne )
• D08 - 'Talk and Action'. How International Organisations React to Areas of Limited Statehood (Project Head Liese, Andrea )
• D09 - Modes of Material Exchange and Collective Management of Resources in Cultural Heterogeneous Areas: The Latin-American Frontiers, 1880-1910 (Project Head Rinke, Stefan )
• T03 - The Policy-Implications of Governance-Research for German Foreign Policy (Cooperation Partner: The German Foreign Office) (Project Heads Risse, Thomas ;  Walter-Drop, Gregor )
• Z - Central Tasks (Project Heads Lehmkuhl, Ursula ;  Risse, Thomas )

• Applicant Institution: Freie Universität Berlin
• Participating University: Universität Potsdam
• Participating Institution: Auswärtiges Amt (AA); Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien (GIGA); Berlin Büro; Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP); Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH (WZB)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Thomas Risse