How much statehood does it take – and what for?

TL;DRAbstract

This paper explores how much statehood it takes to make governance with/out the state work. The first part discusses the relationship between governance, state, and statehood. The distinction between governance as structure and governance as process allows us to disentangle state and statehood. The second part of the paper explores the different functions statehood has for governance. While there may be functional equivalents to the shadow of hierarchy, there is more to statehood than the threat of hierarchically imposed regulation. Effective and legitimate governance may require at least some (external) form of consolidated statehood. The final part of the paper discusses varieties of statehood, arguing that the challenge for areas of limited statehood is not the lack of exclusivity of statehood but the need for an order of shared and divided statehood. The paper concludes by considering the dark sides of statehood, cautioning against building states without strengthening the rule of

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