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 Avoiding quickly outdated country-based case studies, he focuses on failure as a process rather than an event, putting contemporary usage in a wider historical context.

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