Weak Links in a Dangerously Fractured Region: Fragile State as Global Threats

In the post-9/11 period a common belief emerged that fragile states are launching pads for unprecedented and unconventional transnational threats. The rise of state fragility or state failure as a paradigm surfaced after the end of the Cold War, but their high risk factor was noticed only later. This is because increased interconnectedness allows information to spread faster and intensifies threat perceptions. This study recognizes that the idea of weak states, small states, and political decay existed before, and that the notion of state fragility has been widely used in recent years. The conventional wisdom about political decay refers to the ineffectiveness of institutions and corrupt governance structures which enfeeble the state, and which is similar to the current literature focused on domestic factors. To understand the fragility of statehood, the study answers the following research question: Under what conditions do weak and fragile states continue to fail? The analysis explores two core factors: endogenous and exogenous. The academic literature primarily focuses on endogenous factors, mainly political, security, economic, and social performance of states, to determine state capacity and capabilities. However, this study adds geography, or geopolitics, as an exogenous factor causing state fragility in many cases. Therefore, the study suggests a new category, weak pivot states in which fragility is not only the outcome of domestic factors but is also due to its geography and position as a pivot. The evidence suggests that the impact factor of weak pivot states is higher than other weak and fragile states, as they are more susceptible to great power struggles. As weak pivot states sit at the crossroads of major and regional powers\u27 interests, one of the findings of this dissertation demonstrates that major powers have often supported undemocratic forces, with centralized authoritarian regimes benefiting the interests of a hegemon. The reduction of the threat level requires the provision of stability and the implementation of an effective political order. The findings suggest that fragile states need to reorient their constitutions and laws so as to create opportunity of equality and inclusiveness to its populations. In addition, the dissertation recommends the creation of spheres of socialization at intra-state and inter-state level that will allow education for democracy towards state building and establishing accountable political systems instead of interventions in weak and fragile states; and also facilitate an integration process at sub-regional, regional and then global level to tackle the burden of geography respectively

Making Foreign Aid Work: Issues of Cost Effectiveness of Educational Aid in Pakistan

The quality of inclusive and accountable institutions in a donor-recipient country determines the effectiveness of foreign aid. This study examined whether the role of donor agency or the implementing agency was more helpful in the successes of two foreign-funded educational interventions in Northern Pakistan. The two interventions, each focusing on teachers’ development program and the capacity development of principals, were funded by two different international donors. The study also provided a comparison of the two international donors working styles and their strategies applied for the execution of their respective projects. The findings of the study, which were generated through qualitative methods, noted wide variations not only in the working strategies of the two donors, but also the role of the executing agency. It was noted that multiple factors determined the productivity of the two projects; one of the elements that contributed the success or failure of the two project was their design or road map. Based on the findings of this study, it was maintained that a proactive role of both the entities is crucial for the success of such interventions. &nbsp