This project focused on the functionality, effectiveness, and power dynamics within state institutions across Syria, and the quasi-formal institutions that emerged in non-regime-controlled areas.
In particular, the research has identified the shift in the role of state institutions in all Syrian regions and how this has enabled the proliferation of non-state actors to fill gaps in the provision of basic goods and services.
The macro-level analysis of power dynamics highlights the negative impact of these dynamics on local communities, which suffer from poor performance and lack of accountability by dominant institutions, and a lack of participation in decision-making.
Thus, local communities are attempting to use informal avenues, such as social media, to make their voices heard. Thus far, these avenues seem insufficient in changing the power dynamics at the macro level.
