Economic growth and fragility

This rapid review identifies evidence on the role of economic growth and economic development in helping countries break out of fragility. There is no commonly agreed definition of the terms ‘fragile states’ or ‘fragility’, and use of the terms are contested Most development agencies define fragility as ‘a fundamental failure of the state to perform functions necessary to meet citizens’ basic needs’ (Mcloughlin 2012, p. 9). Key characteristics of fragile states commonly include an inability to provide basic security, maintain rule of law and justice, and provide economic opportunities and services for citizens (Mcloughlin 2012). Fragile states also tend be to characterised by lower economic growth rates than the average for low-income countries, and have uneven income and wealth distributions (Hilker 2012).