The potential for subnational governance to serve as a catalyst of peace has been widely recognized. This is reflected in the frequent inclusion of subnational governance arrangements in political settlements negotiated in war-to-peace transitions. In this book, my colleagues Simona Ross, Asbjorn Wee, and I analyse the merits and risks of subnational governance as a conflict mitigation mechanism within the framework of political settlement processes. Informed by in-depth analysis of seven case studies of countries where subnational governance arrangements have been applied and proposed as a tool for mitigating violent conflict–Kenya, the Philippines, Somalia, Myanmar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yemen, and Mali–our book contributes to the broader effort to close the knowledge gap on how development interventions can support the transition from war to peace.
This book is an open-access publication.