In the run-up and aftermath of President Hamid Karzai's election to a second term in office, increasing attention is being paid to the ineffectiveness and dysfunction of the public sector in Afghanistan. This Policy Brief describes the characteristics of the current intergovernmental system and the burden it places on the delivery of citizen-focused services. Suggestions for steps that donors can take to address the paradox of having excessive central control in a state that is very weak are suggested at the conclusion.