Public Finance, Conflict, and International Interventions

Tobias Akhtar Haque is a development professional and economist with extensive practical experience leading governance and economic reforms in fragile state contexts. He holds a PhD in Public Finance from the Australian National University, Canberra.

• Introduction Part I: State-building and Political Settlements 1 Good Governance in Context 2 Good Governance and Social Order 3 Analytical Approach Part II: When Good Governance Confronts Conflict 4 Conflict and Intervention in Solomon Islands 5 Public Finance and State-building in Solomon Islands 6 Conflict and Intervention in Timor-Leste 7 Public Finance and State-building in Timor-Leste 8 Conflict and Intervention in Afghanistan 9 Public Finance and State-building in Afghanistan Part III: Conclusions and Implications 10 Conclusions 11 Beyond Good Governance

"This meticulously researched book is essential reading for policymakers, aid practitioners, and researchers who want to understand why so many state-building efforts fall short—and, more importantly, how to design interventions that have a better chance of success.”Stefan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University; former Chief Economist, United Kingdom Department for International Development"Excellent and original. An important and constructive contribution to the policy debate on state building and post-conflict reconstruction in developing countries"Mushtaq Khan, Professor of Economics, SOAS, University of London“Though deep case study research, this book shows how aid policymakers fail to grasp the role that patronage-based systems play in stabilizing conflict-affected countries. More importantly, it offers a sensible set of policy adjustments that international aid organizations should now follow if they are to improve their dismal recent intervention record in ‘fragile states’.”Nigel Roberts, Former World Bank Country Director for the West Bank and Gaza, and for the Pacific Island Countries; Co-Director of the World Development Report on Conflict, Security, and Development