This review focuses on three main guiding questions: (a) what types of informal, traditional or religious authorities/institutions organise citizen interaction and engagement with the state in different parts of the world; (b) why do these institutions matter from a policy perspective and what are their implications for governance; and (c) from where do they draw legitimacy to engage with the state on behalf of communities and to take on various governance functions?
We also ask what such institutions might be called in order to delineate a category of institutions that have analytical value for policy and development work. We suggest such a term at the end of this review. Until then, we refer to them as informal or customary institutions interchangeably.