Publication

This paper traces the evolution of the transnational Somali economy since the 1980s and highlights the multiple ways in which business people interacted with political and military actors. More specifically, the text's authors 1) look at the economic record of stateless Somalia, highlight its positive and negative achievements, and review key features of the current Somali economy; 2) try to make sense of the evolving political economy of Somalia from the 1980s to the present; 3) highlight the shifting configurations of violence, trade and regulation in Somalia and the types of business arrangements they produce; and 4) problematize the nexus between Somali business and state formation dynamics.