Explaining how and why indirect rule persists
It’s commonplace for scholars to explain weak state institutions in many countries as a result of the practice of indirect rule in the colonial era. In the current issue of Governance, Adnan Naseemullah and Paul Staniland argue that this story needs to be refined. In fact, the broad label of “indirect rule” has been applied to “a diverse set of governance forms that need to be clearly distinguished.” Some of those practices persist today — but not simply because of path dependence. Post-colonial governments “have made conscious choices about how to govern,” and used some modes of indirect rule to accommodate the reality of “limited governing resources.” Read the article.