Justice and Security Reform: Development Agencies and Informal Institutions in Sierra Leone

In a context in which security sector reform has become a pervasive development strategy, Justice and Security Reform considers the necessity and difficulty of engaging with informal (as well as formal) actors in this context, whilst assessing the impact of this engagement on the effectiveness of development programming. The book argues that in not engaging with the primary locus of security provision, informal actors such as chiefs and secret societies, the effectiveness of reforms has remained limited. Informal actors are a common feature of many fragile and conflict-affected states, and including them in SSR programming is, it is argued, crucial if reforms are to produce sustainable improvements.