Thesis: 'The Politics of Public Service Provision in Fragile States'

My research aims to examine how different actors navigate a constellation of public services and welfare in “post-conflict” states. I am interested in cases where public services have ultimately failed to garner political legitimacy and popular support from the very populations they seek to reach. I examine how the state’s vision of public services creates an idea of citizenship that may be accepted, rejected, or qualified by individuals, institutions, and policymakers. Through this, I try to understand how public services are employed by the state and how citizens, in turn, respond to and shape these practices.