State Systems Variety States
What are the four basic elements of a state?
Population, territory, government, and sovereignty.
What does it mean that the international system is “anarchic”?
There is no world government above states; each state must rely on itself.
What is the main difference between a strong state and a weak state?
Strong states have high institutional capacity and can provide security and welfare; weak states struggle to enforce laws or deliver services.
Name 2 indicators used to measure state development.
HDI (education, income, life expectancy), GDP, CPI (corruption), WGI (governance), FSI (fragility), etc.
What is a rentier state, and give an example from the slides.
A state that relies heavily on external rent income (like oil revenues) instead of taxation. Example: UAE.