Across some of the world’s most fragile and contested regions, checkpoints have become one of the most visible – and least understood – features of everyday life. Far from being simple security outposts or symbols of corruption, these roadblocks form the backbone of political authority, market regulation and conflict financing across vast borderland economies.
This new working paper brings together leading researchers to unpack the political and economic logic of checkpoints as central institutions of circulation. Drawing on comparative insights from DR Congo, Libya, Myanmar, South Sudan, Afghanistan, West Africa and Yemen, the report advances nine theses that challenge conventional readings of roadblocks and reframe them as generative nodes of governance.
This working paper was first published on the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)