Title: Local governance in Timor-Leste : lessons in postcolonial state-building /
Authors: Cummins, Deborah
Year: 2015
Subjects: Local government Timor-Leste.; Nation-building Timor-Leste.; Timor-Leste Politics and government
Abstract: "Across many parts of the postcolonial world, it is everyday reality for people to cross regularly between state-based and customary governance, institutions and norms. This book examines this in the context of the villages of Timor-Leste, and the state-building efforts that have been conducted by the Timorese government and international development agencies since the vote for independence in 1999. Drawing on 2 years of ethnographic fieldwork in the remote, rural areas of Timor-Leste, the book provides a critical analysis of the challenges that communities face when navigating coexisting customary and state-based structures and norms in a context where customary law continues to be the central guiding force. It also explores the various creative ways in which local leaders and community members make sense of their local governance environment. It then draws on these insights to provide a more nuanced, contextualised account of the impact of institutional interventions, state-building and democratisation within these villages. While set in the context of state- and nation-building efforts conducted by international and Timorese political leaders following Timor-Leste's vote for independence, the book also provides a broader critique about the issues involved in the postcolonial state adequately meeting the needs of its citizens"--
Contents: The imperative to 'develop' -- The making of political hybridity (a colonial history) -- Democratisation -- Local leadership -- Dispute resolution -- Economic relationships -- Clientelism and patronage -- Taking local politics seriously.