Under the title “Legitimacy and Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectices,” Cord Schmelzle and Eric Stollenwerk, editors of the planned special issue, invited authors to the workshop. More than fifteen German and international legitimacy experts participated in the workshop and presented various contributions, which approach the topic from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective. Contributions ranged from conceptual meditations on the definition of state and non-state legitimacy, to empirical examinations of state legitimacy in Sri Lanka or the legitimacy of external governance actors in Afghanistan, for example. The exploration of both legitimacy itself and the consequences of legitimacy in areas of limited statehood stood at the center of the workshop. In ten sessions, the authors introduced their chapters in brief presentations. Each contribution was then discussed intensively by two participants before the floor was opened to a general discussion.

The next workshop on this planned publication is set to take place in early 2017. We would like to thank all participants for their contributions, for the productive exchange of ideas, and for the exciting discussions.

An overview of the workshop program is available here.