Co‐Production as State‐Building: Relational Capacity and the Prevention of Violent Extremism in the Global South

ABSTRACT This article advances a theory of co‐production as a relational state‐building strategy for countering youth radicalisation in fragile states. Grounded in fieldwork in northern Togo, affected by jihadist incursions from the Sahel and home to a predominantly young population, we argue that co‐production extends state presence into ‘brown areas’ and re‐legitimises authority by expanding the state's relational capacity to hear and respond to citizens. The framework specifies three interconnected mechanisms, face‐to‐face contact through service provision, civic inclusion via institutional channels, and the building of durable relational bonds, that jointly disrupt the recruitment pathways of extremist groups. Empirically, we show these mechanisms cultivate trust, dialogue and critical thinking among youth, while their structural reach is moderated by limited training and decision‐making authority. The findings reframe co‐production as a constitutive political force in state‐citizen relations, offering transferable insights for security policies across the Global South.