Revisiting the Concept of the Failed State: bringing the state back in

The policy and donor communities have placed great importance on fixing ‘failed states’. World leaders have cited failed states as one of the greatest threats to the global community. Nevertheless the concept of the failed state is currently subject to a backlash from the academic community. Scholars have criticised the failed states literature on theoretical, normative, empirical and practical grounds. We provide a brief overview of these main concerns and offer a more systematic method for measuring ‘state failure’. Coming up with better ways of assessing how states underperform will enhance our understanding of how institutional decay affects stability and development and, most importantly, will provide an improved system of early warning for practitioners.     

比利时:变垃圾为"宝"

比利时地处西欧的"十字路口",人口1千多万.在3.399万平方公里的国土面积中,森林和绿地面积就占到了0.607万平方公里.拥有长达65公里的海岸线,宽阔的海滩上布满细沙.由于全民的齐心协力,环境保护堪称一流,各具特色的旅游景点遍布全国.从布鲁塞尔的滑铁卢古战场,到安特卫普-著名画家鲁本斯的故乡;从布鲁日有"欧洲最美丽的风景城市"之称、其精巧的建筑和布满全市的运河,到著名的阿登山高地的丘陵和森林,每年吸引着众多来自欧洲和世界各地的旅游者. 凡是到过这个国度的游客都赞不绝口,对比利时人在日常生活中体现出的环保意识留下了深刻的印象.     

Bringing politics back in: Towards a model of the developmental state

The few cases of rapid economic growth in the Third World in the last 30 years have occurred in democratic, quasi‐democratic and non‐democratic polities. They are thus clearly not a function of common regime type. I suggest that they are best explained by the special character of their states, understood ‘as developmental states’. This article outlines some common characteristics of these states. However the forms and features of these states are not simply a function of their administrative structures or principles of governance, but of their politics. The article thus also underlines the importance of political analysis in both development theory and policy, from where it has been extruded for too long.     

Turning nickels into dollars: maggie walker and the consolidated bank and trust company

While many are familiar with the history of banking in the United States, relatively few know of its development in the African American community. Following the failure of the Freedman's Bank, shortly after its inception at the close of the Civil War, many African American fraternal organizations expanded their scope of interests to try to fill the void. The intent was to continue to provide the financial base needed to support the growth of a capitalist -employer class. It was envisioned that from such a footing would stem the acquisition of social respectability and economic independence. One of the leaders in this effort was Maggie Walker, the first African American women bank president.