What is a FCAS (Fragile and Conflict-affected State?

Table 1. Key differences between FCAS lists

FCAS The Brookings Index of Carleton University World Bank’s Country

Index/List State Weakness in the Country Indicators for Policy and Institutional
Developing World Foreign Policy project Assessments List (CPIA)
Definition Fragile states are those Assessment of basic CPIA divide low-income
used for countries where there is security within borders, countries into five
fragile and ‘occurrence & intensity of basic social needs and/or categories, the lowest two
conflict- violent conflict or its the political legitimacy to of which are fragile states
affected residual effects (e.g. effectively represent their who have a CPIA rating of
population displacement), citizens at home or abroad. 3.2 or less. There is a
illegal seizure of political Fragile states lack the separate group of unranked
power, perceptions of functional authority to countries, also deemed
political instability, provide basic security fragile. List excludes
territory affected by within their borders, the MICs. Defined as fragile
conflict & state-sponsored institutional capacity to state if it is LIC, IDA-
political violence & gross provide basic social needs eligible, with CPIA score
human rights abuses.’ for populations and/or of 3.2 or below. Core
Bottom two quintiles of political legitimacy to fragile is CPIA below 3.0,
rankings are FCAS effectively represent marginal if between 3.2 and
citizens at home and 3.0.
abroad.
Broad areas Economic: recent Governance: freedom of Economic management:
covered in economic growth; quality press; government macroeconomic
indicators of existing policies; effectiveness;perception of management; fiscal policy;
used in conducive to private sector level of corruption; level debt policy.
constructing development; degree of of democracy; refugees Structural policies: trade;
index equitable income hosted; restrictions on civil financial sector; business
distribution. liberty; rule of law. regulatory environment.
Political: quality of Economic: GDP growth; Policies for social
institutions; extent to percentage GDP per inclusion/equity: gender
which citizens accept capita; total GDP; FDI; equality; equity of public
legitimacy of government; foreign aid, inequality; gini resource use; building
government accountability coefficient; inflation; human resources; social
to citizens; rule of law; informal economy; protection & labour;
extent of corruption; unemployment; women in policies & institutions for
democratisation; freedom labour force. environmental
of expression/association; Security & Crime: conflict sustainability.
ability of state intensity; human rights; Public sector management
bureaucracy. Security: military expenditure; & institutions: property
ability of state to provide political stability; refugees rights & rule-based
physical security for produced; terrorism. government; quality of
citizens. Measures: Human development: budgetary/financial
occurrence & intensity of access to water/sanitation; management; efficiency of
violent conflict or residual education; food security; revenue mobilisation;
effects (e.g. population health infrastructure; quality of public admin;
displacements); illegal prevalence of HIV/AIDS; transparency/accountability
seizure of political power; HDI; literacy. and corruption in public
perceptions of political Demography: life sector.
instability; territory expectancy; migration;
affected by political population
instability & state- density/diversity;
sponsored violence & population growth; slum
human rights abuses. population.
Social welfare: how well Environment: arable/fertile
state meets basic needs land; consumption of
including nutrition, health, energy; disaster risk index;
education & access to pollution; change in annual
clean water/sanitation. percentage of forest cover.
Sources: Brookings Index: www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/02_weak_states_index.aspx; World Bank CPIA:
www.worldbank.org; Carleton CFIP: www.carleton.ca/cifp
Note: There is also the Foreign Policy/Fund for Peace ‘Failed States Index’. This assesses extremities – e.g. loss of
physical control of territory. It is composed of 12 indicators. See
www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/21/2010_failed_states_index_interactive_map_and_rankings

Table 2. Comparison of FCAS lists (bold indicates countries common to all 3 lists)

The Brookings Index Carleton University World Bank’s Aggregated list

of State Weakness in Country Indicators Country Policy and (all 3 lists) used in
the Developing World for Foreign Policy Institutional OECD (2010)
2008 project Assessments List
(CIFP) 2008 (CPIA) 2008
28 countries 30 countries 32 countries 43 countries

Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan

Angola Angola Angola Angola
Burma Burundi Burundi Burundi
Burundi Central Afr. Rep. Cameroon Cameroon
Central Afr. Rep. Chad Central Afr. Rep. Central Afr. Rep.
Chad Comoros Chad Chad
Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo, Dem. Rep. Comoros Comoros
Congo, Rep. Côte d’Ivoire Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo, Dem. Rep.
Côte d’Ivoire Djibouti Congo, Rep. Congo, Rep.
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Côte d’Ivoire Côte d’Ivoire
Eritrea Eritrea Djibouti Djibouti
Ethiopia Ethiopia Eritrea Equatorial Guinea
Guinea Guinea Gambia, The Eritrea
Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau Guinea Ethiopia
Haiti Haiti Guinea-Bissau Gambia, The
Iraq Iraq Haiti Guinea
Liberia Kenya Kiribati Guinea-Bissau
Nepal Liberia Pakistan Haiti
Niger Myanmar (Burma) Papua New Guinea Iraq
Nigeria Nepal Sao Tome And Principe Kenya
North Korea Nigeria Sierra Leone Kiribati
Rwanda Pakistan Solomon Islands Liberia
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Sudan Myanmar
Somalia Somalia Tajikistan Nepal
Sudan Sudan Timor-Leste Niger
Togo Togo Togo Nigeria
Uganda Uganda Tonga North Korea
Zimbabwe West Bank and Gaza Yemen, Rep. Pakistan
Yemen, Rep. Zimbabwe Papua New Guinea
Zimbabwe Plus Unrated: Rwanda
Liberia Sao Tome And Principe
Myanmar Sierra Leone
Somalia Solomon Islands
Somalia
Sudan
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Uganda
West Bank and Gaza
Yemen, Rep.
Zimbabwe
Sources: Brookings Index: www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/02_weak_states_index.aspx; World Bank CPIA:
www.worldbank.org; Carleton CIFP: www.carleton.ca/cifp/
Note: Thanks to Dan Coppard, Development Initiatives.