Failed States and Institutional Decay Understanding Instability and Poverty in the Developing World

Globalization and interdependence have had a great impact on state sovereignty. Some states have lost their ability to provide for their citizens, sustain stable borders, prevent internal conflict, and deal with transnational terrorist networks. Labeled "failed states," they become the target of foreign intervention and preventative foreign policies. This book explains the causes and consequences of state failure by examining what constitutes a failed state and what is meant by institutional decay and by exploring the different types of institutional decay in terms of economic, military, political, and social institutions. It addresses failure in authoritarian states, its association with terrorism, its diffusion to other states, and the impact of regional challenges on state institutions.In addition to a comprehensive overview of the theories and models of state failure, this unique text features in-depth qualitative analyses, examples from around the developing world, and sidebars to clarify concepts and contexts. A synthesis of current research, it will offer students in comparative politics and international relations an invaluable contextual understanding of institutional decay, its roots, and consequences.

Natasha Ezrow is Lecturer at the University of Essex, UK, where she serves as the Director of the International Development Studies Program.

Introduction

Part I. Definition of Concepts and Theories
1. Controversies and Overview
2. Definitions of Failed States, Institutions, Measurements and Institutional Decay
3. Historical, Situational, Global and Ideological Causes of Institutional Decay
Part II. Institutional Decay and Development: Regional Trends
4. Africa
5. South/Central Asia and the Caucasus
6. The Middle East
Part III. Uncovering the Myths and Controversies about State Failure
7. Flawed Democracies and Dictatorships
8. Terrorism
9. Conflict
10. Poverty and Economic Decay
11. Controversies of Intervention, Aid Dependence and State Building
Conclusion


Annotated Bibliography


Index