'Subnational State-Building in Afghanistan', Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), April 2008

EXCERPT: "Since 2004, the Afghan government and its international partners have become increasingly aware that issues and challenges surrounding subnational governance in Afghanistan are crucial to national development, stability, and security. This period has also been a time of extraordinary change in subnational governance structures, with the election of Provincial Councils, the establishment of Provincial Development Committees (PDCs), increases in Public Administrative Reform (PAR) efforts, and the expansion of the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) into a large number of communities. To assess the changes produced by these developments and reform efforts, and to address the need for an improved understanding of subnational governance, AREU conducted extensive field and policy research on subnational governance beginning in April 2005. This research built on prior AREU work on subnational administration, NSP and PAR."

To continue reading the report, click here [pdf].