 | Fragile states is the term coined to describe countries facing weak institutional capacity, poor governance, political instability and on-going violence or the legacy effects of past conflict. Some examples of countries and contexts falling under this category include: |
Post Conflict (Afghanistan, Angola, DRC, Timor Leste) Prolonged Crisis (Somalia) Fragile Transition (CAR, Liberia, Haiti, Sudan) Slow Progress (Cambodia) Deteriorating Governance (Eritrea, PNG)
Risks and vulnerabilities are often exaggerated in fragile and post conflict contexts, with the creation of refugees and internally displaced populations adding further layers of complexity. It is estimated that poverty is twice as high in fragile contexts compared to low income settings. Although long-term human development needs are critical, these are often not met by basic humanitarian assistance alone. Informal, family and community-based risk-coping arrangements commonly relied upon by households may also be strained in these contexts. 
To this end, the potential use of safety nets in fragile contexts is increasingly recognized. An important issue for international organizations and recovering societies in fragile and post-conflict settings is how and when to transition from primarily humanitarian relief to more strategic sustained development. Selected use of social safety net interventions,integrated with a range of other actions and approaches, may assistsocieties in rebuilding and preventing future conflict. This will often involve a strong reliance on non-state actors or local authorities. 
Safety nets play an important role in providing support and rehabilitation to vulnerable groups e.g. decreasing harmful coping strategties amongst demobilized, IDP's/refugees, orphas and children, disabled. Often a range of non-state and community based actors can be involved to start building basic systems for targeting, payments and monitoring, often using simplified and community driven approaches e.g. social funds, Safety nets possess the potential to prevent irreversible losses of human capital by reducing harmful coping strategies. They have also proven effective empowerment of vulnerable groups through community driven development (CDD) approaches. A variety of political, administrative and financing constraints must be considered in implementing safety nets in fragile contexts. First, while the need for safety nets is great, standard programs may not necessarily be optimal in fragile states particularly given weak administration concerns e.g. security, breakdown of law, lack of basic services, weak government capacity. Second, fiscal space may be even lower in fragile contexts, given heavy reliance on external financing as well as other fiduciary concerns. Finally, local information may be weak and existing assessment practices are often cumbersome, which makes it difficult to target vulnerable population and evaluate programs. Case Studies: Fragile States and Post Conflict Safety Net Projects
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