Can Social Assistance Strengthen the Social Contract in Somalia?

In a country still experiencing localised conflict, massive chronic poverty, widespread food insecurity, and the recurrent risk of famine, with a fragile government competing for legitimacy and highly dependent on donor finance, is it reasonable to expect social assistance to contribute to social contract formation? This article explores political economy analyses of what other contracts or bargains might be more important to the government and asks whether particular features or elements of social assistance programmes might contribute to improved state–society relations.