Partner or patron? International civil administration and local capacity-building

Abstract

This article examines the civil administrative functions of contemporary international territorial administrations and explores the relationship between civil administration and local capacity-building. While the importance of building local capacity is widely recognized, in practice it is often given too little emphasis because international authorities are inclined to rely on international agencies and personnel to ensure that civil administration is conducted competently and in conformity with the requirements of a mission's mandate. A better balance needs to be struck between the demands for effective and efficient administration in the short term and the strengthening of local capacity in the longer term if international administrations are not to leave behind weak states or territories as a part of their legacy.