ABSTRACT
In this chapter we develop a working definition of fragility, which we use to animate a three-dimensional global fragile states index. We then provide empirical findings concerning the linkage between our three dimensions of fragility, namely authority, legitimacy, and capacity, and state failure events, for a few key countries that have been characterized by instability. The chapter proceeds in four sections. First, we provide a justification for the use of the state as a conceptual variable and locus for analysis of fragility. Second, we review various definitions of fragility and failure in the literature, and discuss the core aspects of our own definition. In the third section, we describe the three dimensions of our fragility model in detail. In the final section, we present some initial empirical observations based upon that model, and provide a brief concluding comment.
