Index of State Weakness in the Developing World
A new report written by Susan E. Rice from the Brookings Institution and Stewart Patrick from the Center for Global Development ranks 141 countries on economics, politics, security, and social welfare - as well as twenty other “sub-indicators” - and derives an “index of state weakness”.
“This paper presents the Index of State Weakness in the Developing World (hereafter, the Index), which ranks all 141 developing countries according to their relative performance in four critical spheres: economic, political, security, and social welfare. We define weak states as countries that lack the essential capacity and/or will to fulfill four sets of critical government responsibilities: fostering an environment conducive to sustainable and equitable economic growth; establishing and maintaining legitimate, transparent, and accountable political institutions; securing their populations from violent conflict and controlling their territory; and meeting the basic human needs of their population.”
