The South Asian arc of instability: In search of explanations

Abstract

An arc of states considered "Critical" and "In Danger" of state failure— Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh— lie on India's land borders. Although India itself is at low risk of state failure, a number of provincial Indian states in the Ganges plain—the so-called BIMARU states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh-share many features of state weakness. This paper canvasses a range of explanations for why there are so many ineffective and weak governments in this broad geographic region. The paper looks at the evidence for pre-colonial influences (kinship and social organisation), colonial transformations and post-colonial developments.