Taxation and Trust in Fragile States w/ Viljar Haavik & Gayatri Sahgal

We often think of tax as an exchange with the state – money in return for services and security. But what happens if this "social contract" is absent? In the world’s most fragile states, authorities often lack the ability to collect taxes and the capacity to provide basic services.In this episode we look at taxation as a way to understand the relationship between the state and the population. We speak with researchers Viljar Haavik from NUPI (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs) and Gayatri Sahgal from the Chr. Michelsen Institute. Both have conducted extensive research on taxation in fragile states and share their insights on how the social contract looks different in countries like Somalia and Liberia.Click to watch video version on Youtube