Closing the Sovereignty Gap: An Approach to State-Building. By Ashraf Ghani, Clare Lockhart and Michael Carnahan. Overseas Development Institute, 2005.
Three analysts with experience working in unstable regions develop a template for strengthening weak states. There are 10 fundamental functions a state must fulfill in order to achieve stability and sovereignty. From this basic conception of state responsibilities, a “report card” can developed to assess particular “sovereignty gaps” within weak states, or areas where a state cannot fulfill its fundamental tasks. To address these gaps, donors can develop and implement a “sovereignty strategy,” a guideline for which is developed by the authors with the proviso that strategies must be tailored to the context of differing states. [PDF]
USAID Fragile States Strategy. United States Agency for International Development, 2005.
USAID’s fragile states strategy emphasizes the need for detailed information on the internal dynamics of weak states in order to develop appropriate goals, priorities, and strategies. The strategy also outlines ways in which USAID might work with U.S. inter-agency partners to develop and reform fragile states. [HTML]
