It would have been impossible to put together this report without the help of a number of people who graciously shared their time, expertise and networks.

The research was conducted primarily for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of Clingendael’s Sahel research programme. Our appreciation goes to Marianne Peters and Marjolein Jongman for their patience and support.

The authors are grateful to Clingendael colleagues Fransje Molenaar and Anca-Elena Ursu for their relentless efforts to carry out relevant and reality-based research. Your analytical input and research assistance have been indispensable.

Research that collects local perspectives on governance in Libya cannot be done without access to a network of local counterparts. A very special thank you therefore goes to the Libyan Coalition for the Constitution (LCC – a group of 12 Libyan non-governmental organisations and their partner organisations), whose members are committed to strengthening local governance and building a stable and prosperous Libya. You have been an inspiration and your help in designing and conducting this survey is greatly appreciated.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to Anne-Marie Brinkman and Douwe Edwin Buis (Bureau Ensemble) and Isam Saidi who introduced us to the LCC, and who shared their own experiences, energy and knowledge with us in the process.

Lastly, the report greatly benefited from excellent peer reviews by Isam Saidi, Mark Micallef (Senior Fellow at The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime), Megan Price (Head of the Knowledge Platform Security and Rule of Law), Erwin van Veen and Fransje Molenaar (both Senior Research Fellows at the Clingendael Conflict Research Unit). Thanks to all of you.

It remains to be emphasised that responsibility for the contents of the report, and any errors or ommissions, is the authors' alone.