Front Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Acronyms and Abbreviations -- Overview -- Method and Approach -- Key Findings -- Operationalizing the Findings: Recommendations for Putting Social Cohesion at the Center of Development Efforts in Fragile Situations -- References -- Chapter 1. Understanding Fragility -- Approach of the Study: Seeing Fragility from a Societal Perspective -- Study Methodology -- Organization of the Book -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2. Understanding State-Society Connectedness -- State Building and Citizenship -- State-Society Interactions -- Social Cohesion and the State-Society Relationship -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3. Social Cohesion: A Convergence across Groups -- Understanding Convergence across Groups -- Convergence and Cohesion -- Divergence, Bridging Failures, and Bonding Failures -- Some Societal Dynamics Are Especially Counterproductive to Convergence across Groups -- Unintended Effects of Economic and Political Factors on Convergence -- Going Forward: Building Social Cohesion in Fragile Situations -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 4. Perceptions of Injustice and Social Cohesion -- Perceptions of Injustice, Measurable Inequalities, and Intergroup Tensions -- Different Criteria for Assessing Fairness -- Contextual Factors Exacerbate Perceptions of Injustice across Groups -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 5. Social Cohesion and Interactions between Institutions -- Constructive Interactions between Customary and State Institutions, and Social Cohesion -- Problems Associated with Unconstructive Interactions Observed in the Field -- The Role of Civil Society in Improving Interactions between Customary and State Institutions -- Moving Forward: Understanding How Social Cohesion Affects Broader Relationships in Society -- Notes -- References.

Chapter 6. Changing Relationships and Social Cohesion -- Population Movements -- Generational Relationships -- Challenges to Gender Relationships -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 7. From Concept to Practice: Fostering Social Cohesion to Reduce Fragility -- Defining a New Approach: Placing Social Cohesion at the Center of Development Strategies -- Prioritizing Social Cohesion through a Flexible Programming Approach -- Creating Space to Support Voice and Mediation between Various Understandings of World and Society -- Improving Analytical Methods and Tools to Better Assess Societal Dynamics and the Context in Which They Operate -- Combining Social and Political Analysis -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 8. Designing Policies and Programs to Build Social Cohesion -- Addressing Perceptions of Injustice across Groups -- Improving Interactions among Institutions -- Supporting Civil Society in Improving the Relationship between State and Society -- Strengthening State Capacity to Engage Positively with Society -- Notes -- References -- Appendix 1. Background Papers Prepared for This Book -- Appendix 2. Authors and Advisers of the Background Papers -- Index -- Back Cover.

Today's world is changing at breakneck speed, shaking the very foundations of many societies. Increased mobility through massive urbanization and migration allows people unprecedented access to different cultures and ideas; advanced technologies speed the pace of human interaction; the globalization of communication offers new forms of social relationships that may directly contradict traditional norms for behavior. These changes create tremendous stresses on relationships in societies - affecting the way youth interact with their elders, the way women and men relate to each other, how urban migrants and refugees relate to their new environments, and so on. The impacts of these changes are felt acutely in 'fragile' situations, where groups and institutions struggle to adapt to the stresses of rapid social change. In the worst cases, where fragility has given way to open violence - people are more than twice as likely to be malnourished, more than three times as likely to be unable to send their children to school, twice as likely to see their children die before age five, and more than twice as likely to lack clean water. In addition to these domestic challenges, the costs of fragility often spill over to neighboring regions in the form of trafficking in illegal goods and persons, corruption, and violence. 'Societal Dynamics and Fragility' frames a fresh approach to these challenges, by focusing on improving relationships across groups and institutions in society. Drawing on case studies from Yemen, Central African Republic, Haiti, Liberia and Aceh (Indonesia), the book provides a framework for understanding and healing the social divides that often get in the way of building capable institutions and exiting from fragility.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.