Elements of a Stable State

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Elements of a Stable State

• Lesson 4
• January 2006

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National Security Strategy
Failed States represent a threat to U. S.
national security Because they often spawn wider
regional conflicts, which can substantially
weaken security and retard development In their
sub-regions.
President Bushs National Security Strategy
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Transforming
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What makes a stable state?
Security
Good Governance
Rule of Law
Economic and Social Well-being
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Totally Intergraded
Security
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Questions that drive intervention
What are the problems posed by failing states?
Is outside help necessary to deal with these
problems?
How can disputes be resolved peaceably?
Which strategies work best?
How can these strategies be implement?
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Nation Building
How to promote governance
Improve their democratic legitimacy
Strengthen self-sustaining institutions
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Marshall Plan-TypeSolutions
Incompatible with multidimensional nature of
current reconstruction
Tend to overemphasize the economic factor in a
wide range of structural problems
Tend to forget time and past history
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Types of Nation Building
Post-conflict reconstruction
Modicum of stability after collapse
Strengthening weak states before collapse
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Development is political
Markets and their operation
Economic production
Education
Infrastructure
Provision of "basic needs"
Protection and/or promotion of human rights
Security and defense
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Multiple Actors
The International Monetary Fund
The World Bank
National governments
Political parties or social movements
Non-governmental organizations  
Communities
Social groups and classes
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State Services
Strength

• Minimal Functions
• Providing pure public goods
• Defense, law, and order
• Property rights
• Macroeconomic management
• Public health
• Improving equity
• Protecting the poor
• Intermediate Functions
• Addressing externalities
• Education,
• Environment
• Financial regulations
• Regulating monopoly
• Activist Functions
• Industrial policy
• Wealth redistribution

Scope
World Bank 2003
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Missing Dimensions of Stateness
Strength
Scope
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States and Services
Strength
Strong institutions and an extensive state
Limited state functions with strong
institutional effectiveness
Ineffective state takes on an ambitious range
of activities that it cannot perform
Weak institutions and a limited state
Scope
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Struggles Occurs

• Trade liberalization
• Privatization of state-owned industries and
  utilities
• The destruction of rainforests and other
  ecosystems
• Infrastructure projects
• Currency devaluation 

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Security Sector

• Political security and governance
• Community security and societal stability
• Personal security and human rights
• Economic security

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Good Governance
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Rule of Law

• Legal Justice
• Rectificatory Justice
• Distributive Justice

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State-building Lessons

• Holistic approach
• Single leader with authority
• Solve root cause
• Security rule of law
• Disarm, demobilize, reintegrate
• Structure of the state
• Political and economic reforms

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Agenda for success

• Focus on root causes
• Attend to context specificity
• Must be sustainable
• Mobilization of resources
• Holistic approach

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Initial tasks

• Revive restore social service
• Assist displaced people
• Resettlement
• Property right
• Gainful employment