This article evaluates the form of governance in areas with limited statehood. It explains that areas of limited statehood are those that lack the capacity to implement and enforce central decisions and/or a monopoly on the use of force. The article shows that it is possible to observe governance and the provision of collective goods even under conditions of limited statehood, and discusses conceptual issues which arise when governance is applied to areas of limited statehood. It also highlights the Western and Eurocentric bias of contemporary social science notions of statehood and governance.