Even in the most enfeebled state public goods are being provided, though often not by the state itself. Much of the literature has focused on the range of ‘non-state’ authorities providing these goods. Yet how do those on the receiving end—the supposed beneficiaries of governance—engage with these multiple sources of authority? Why do they choose one over another?

Using Kosovo as a case study, I focus on periods over the last 25 years when core public services such as education, healthcare and justice were delivered by competing and overlapping authorities, and explore how people navigate these competing sources of governance from the bottom up.