Measuring Stateness, Ranking Political Orders: Indexes of state fragility and state failure

Abstract

This paper examines two indexes of state failure and state fragility. It considers the wider historical context for the emergence of interest in state failure and state fragility, and examines attempts to define the concepts. After reflecting on the limitations and difficulties of various definitions, the paper scrutinizes two attempts to “measure” stateness by creating indexes of state failure and fragility. It argues that both indexes are flawed methodologically, and poses the question of why there nonetheless continues to be interest in quantifying the concepts despite the insurmountable problems of measurement.