Andrew Taylor provides an overview of the origins, evolution, and impact of state failure since the 1990s. Avoiding quickly outdated country-based case studies, he focuses on failure as a process rather than an event, putting contemporary usage in a wider historical context.

Andrew Taylor is Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield, UK. He has published widely on various aspects of British politics, public policy and the nature of the state and governance. His most recent book dealt with the expansion of the European Union into South East Europe. He is currently working on a study of British bordering policy since the late-nineteenth century.

1. Introduction 2. Definitions 3. Measurement 4. History 5. Sovereignty 6. Violence 7. Environment 8. Governance 9. Consequences 10. Conclusions