Hardback
Handbook of Fragile States
This timely Handbook examines the causes, costs and consequences of state fragility, advancing key debates in the field. Demonstrating the multidimensionality of fragility by applying diverse theories and methodologies, it provides new insights on effective policy development and application in the context of fragile states.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
More Information
This timely Handbook examines the causes, costs and consequences of state fragility, advancing key debates in the field. Demonstrating the multidimensionality of fragility by applying diverse theories and methodologies, it provides new insights on effective policy development and application in the context of fragile states.
Drawing on a wide variety of disciplines, approaches and case studies, the Handbook pays particular attention to the root causes and drivers of fragility. It centres authority, legitimacy and the citizen-state relationship alongside state capacity, revealing the flaws in the reasoning behind previous Western policy interventions in fragile states. Chapters address a broad range of issues facing fragile states, from fragility traps, refugees and urbanisation to recent events including the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the increasing pressures of climate change. Ultimately, the Handbook advances the state of both academic and policy knowledge on state fragility, revealing the deep links between the two.
This Handbook will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of political science, international relations, development studies, economics, and sociology. It will also benefit practitioners seeking to improve the effectiveness of their policy proposals.
Drawing on a wide variety of disciplines, approaches and case studies, the Handbook pays particular attention to the root causes and drivers of fragility. It centres authority, legitimacy and the citizen-state relationship alongside state capacity, revealing the flaws in the reasoning behind previous Western policy interventions in fragile states. Chapters address a broad range of issues facing fragile states, from fragility traps, refugees and urbanisation to recent events including the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the increasing pressures of climate change. Ultimately, the Handbook advances the state of both academic and policy knowledge on state fragility, revealing the deep links between the two.
This Handbook will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of political science, international relations, development studies, economics, and sociology. It will also benefit practitioners seeking to improve the effectiveness of their policy proposals.
Critical Acclaim
‘The Handbook of Fragile States brings together an impressive breadth and diversity of expertise – empirical and theoretical, academic and policy-oriented. It demonstrates that our understanding of state fragility, its sources and the ways to overcome it, has made tremendous progress in recent years – a knowledge badly needed in a world where multiple global crises put nations increasingly under stress. In their entirety, the twenty-four chapters of this volume make a convincing case for the notion that the legitimacy of the rulers, as much as their capacity to provide for their citizens, is a crucial resource for states to escape, or avoid, the perils of fragility.’
– Jörn Grävingholt, German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Germany
‘The idea of fragile states has been widely debated since its first emergence in the fields of security and development. By uniting authors from various disciplines and backgrounds, this Handbook contributes to a better understanding of the many factors that may hamper the legitimacy and the capacity of state institutions. It will be of interest to researchers studying the multifaceted nature of fragility, as well as to policy practitioners operating in countries affected by ongoing crises, disasters and conflicts.’
– Olivier Nay, University of Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne, France
‘Extending from their previous extensive research and bringing together a strong group of contributors, Carment and Samy offer an excellent introduction and resource on research and policy on fragile states. Collectively, the chapters provide a thorough review of core topics in the literature, such as the conceptualization and measurement of fragile states and root causes, and new perspectives on emerging topics, such as urban fragility and climate linkages.’
– Rachel Gisselquist, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Finland
– Jörn Grävingholt, German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Germany
‘The idea of fragile states has been widely debated since its first emergence in the fields of security and development. By uniting authors from various disciplines and backgrounds, this Handbook contributes to a better understanding of the many factors that may hamper the legitimacy and the capacity of state institutions. It will be of interest to researchers studying the multifaceted nature of fragility, as well as to policy practitioners operating in countries affected by ongoing crises, disasters and conflicts.’
– Olivier Nay, University of Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne, France
‘Extending from their previous extensive research and bringing together a strong group of contributors, Carment and Samy offer an excellent introduction and resource on research and policy on fragile states. Collectively, the chapters provide a thorough review of core topics in the literature, such as the conceptualization and measurement of fragile states and root causes, and new perspectives on emerging topics, such as urban fragility and climate linkages.’
– Rachel Gisselquist, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Finland
Contributors
Contributors include: Nesreen Nasser Alanbar, Hamid E. Ali, Julian Bergmann, Rachael Calleja, David Carment, Karla Cisneros Rosado, Helder da Costa, Tobias Debiel, Harsh Desai, Stephan Dombrowski, Mahmoud Elmakkawe, Francesco Femia, Ines A. Ferreira, Natalie Fiertz, Mark Furness, Michaël Goujon, Sonja Grimm, Nate Haken, Brigitte Hugh, Said Yaqub Ibrahimi, Seth D. Kaplan, Diana Koester, Nicolas Lemay-Hébert, Jonathan Marley, Monty G. Marshall, Charles Martin-Shields, Habib ur Rehman Mayar, Mark McGillivray, Robert Muggah, Zina Nimeh, Babatunde Obamamoye, Felix Piedade, Sarah Rose, Robert I. Rotberg, Yiagadeesen Samy, Erin Sikorsky, Safiullah Taye, Laurent Wagner
Contents
Contents:
1 Introduction to the Handbook of Fragile States 1
David Carment and Yiagadeesen Samy
2 Investigating the root causes of fragility 19
Sonja Grimm
3 Transforming conception(s) of state fragility and new containment
interventions 39
Nicolas Lemay-Hébert and Babatunde F. Obamamoye
4 Current conceptualizations and measurements of state fragility: recent
developments and remaining limits 53
Ines A. Ferreira
5 The United States is vulnerable: a flashing red light in the Fragile States Index 73
Nate Haken and Natalie Fiertz
6 The case for measuring multidimensional fragility: is disaggregation the
answer? 88
Harsh Desai (OECD) and Jonathan Marley (OECD)
7 Strategic approaches in fragile societies: targeting drivers 104
Seth D. Kaplan
8 Hybrid authority systems and political instability 121
Monty G. Marshall
9 Hybrid political orders in fragile contexts 137
Tobias Debiel and Stephan Dombrowski
10 Implications of fragility for growth, poverty and inequality 152
Karla Cisneros Rosado and Yiagadeesen Samy
11 Just “add women and stir”? Bringing gender into fragility debates 170
Diana Koester
12 The relationship between state fragility and refugees 192
Charles Martin-Shields
13 Climate change and fragility: improving early warning and
climate-proofing development and conflict interventions 206
Erin Sikorsky, Francesco Femia and Brigitte Hugh
14 Urban fragility 222
Robert Muggah
15 Understanding horizontal inequalities: the case of Palestinian refugees
in Jordan 236
Zina Nimeh
16 The African fragility problem 252
Robert I. Rotberg
17 State fragility and sustainable development in the Middle East and
North Africa 265
Hamid E. Ali, Mahmoud Elmakkawe and Nesreen Nasser Alanbar
18 State fragility trap and conflict in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 285
Said Yaqub Ibrahimi
19 Fragility of small island developing states 299
Michaël Goujon and Laurent Wagner
20 Securitization, divergent agendas and the sectoral allocation of
development aid within Afghanistan 316
Mark McGillivray and Safiullah Taye
21 Exiting the fragility trap: evidence from Bangladesh 334
David Carment and Emilia Vydelingum
22 “Nothing about us without us”: the g7+ and the New Deal 355
Habib ur Rehman Mayar, Helder da Costa and Felix Piedad
23 The EU’s approach to fragile states: conflicting norms, practices, and
lessons learnt 369
Julian Bergmann and Mark Furness
24 Coordinating aid in fragile states: the promise of country platforms and
principles for effective aid architecture 385
Rachael Calleja and Sarah Rose
Index
1 Introduction to the Handbook of Fragile States 1
David Carment and Yiagadeesen Samy
2 Investigating the root causes of fragility 19
Sonja Grimm
3 Transforming conception(s) of state fragility and new containment
interventions 39
Nicolas Lemay-Hébert and Babatunde F. Obamamoye
4 Current conceptualizations and measurements of state fragility: recent
developments and remaining limits 53
Ines A. Ferreira
5 The United States is vulnerable: a flashing red light in the Fragile States Index 73
Nate Haken and Natalie Fiertz
6 The case for measuring multidimensional fragility: is disaggregation the
answer? 88
Harsh Desai (OECD) and Jonathan Marley (OECD)
7 Strategic approaches in fragile societies: targeting drivers 104
Seth D. Kaplan
8 Hybrid authority systems and political instability 121
Monty G. Marshall
9 Hybrid political orders in fragile contexts 137
Tobias Debiel and Stephan Dombrowski
10 Implications of fragility for growth, poverty and inequality 152
Karla Cisneros Rosado and Yiagadeesen Samy
11 Just “add women and stir”? Bringing gender into fragility debates 170
Diana Koester
12 The relationship between state fragility and refugees 192
Charles Martin-Shields
13 Climate change and fragility: improving early warning and
climate-proofing development and conflict interventions 206
Erin Sikorsky, Francesco Femia and Brigitte Hugh
14 Urban fragility 222
Robert Muggah
15 Understanding horizontal inequalities: the case of Palestinian refugees
in Jordan 236
Zina Nimeh
16 The African fragility problem 252
Robert I. Rotberg
17 State fragility and sustainable development in the Middle East and
North Africa 265
Hamid E. Ali, Mahmoud Elmakkawe and Nesreen Nasser Alanbar
18 State fragility trap and conflict in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 285
Said Yaqub Ibrahimi
19 Fragility of small island developing states 299
Michaël Goujon and Laurent Wagner
20 Securitization, divergent agendas and the sectoral allocation of
development aid within Afghanistan 316
Mark McGillivray and Safiullah Taye
21 Exiting the fragility trap: evidence from Bangladesh 334
David Carment and Emilia Vydelingum
22 “Nothing about us without us”: the g7+ and the New Deal 355
Habib ur Rehman Mayar, Helder da Costa and Felix Piedad
23 The EU’s approach to fragile states: conflicting norms, practices, and
lessons learnt 369
Julian Bergmann and Mark Furness
24 Coordinating aid in fragile states: the promise of country platforms and
principles for effective aid architecture 385
Rachael Calleja and Sarah Rose
Index
