Within and Without State: Effective Programming in Fragile Contexts

A third of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people live in countries where governments are unable, or unwilling, to provide them with public goods and services. But the question of how to go beyond dealing with the symptoms of fragility – the immediate needs of citizens for food, protection, a livelihood – to achieving long-term, transitional change, is extremely challenging. Within and Without the State(WWS) is enabling Oxfam to pilot innovative programming in conflict and fragile contexts, and to capture and share learning about what makes it effective. The Within and Without the Stateproject is working to strengthen civil society, and encourage more accountable governance, in conflict and fragile contexts. This paper describes the cases of several conflict-affected countries.