Published 2026-04-23
Abstract
The importance of understanding the ways in which the inception and early years of states can be critical to their long-term success cannot be overstated. Examining how this stage of statehood has unfolded and what lessons can be drawn from it remains ever relevant as countries continue to emerge and dissolve. In the 21st century, there have been a total of ten countries that have experienced a complete overhaul of their governments. The circumstances of these cases are far from similar, though, ranging from domestic revolution, foreign invasion, separation from another state, or some combination of those three. In order to aim for a more holistic view of early state development, this project examined data regarding governance, culture, and economics using separate indices for each. This was done with the aim of answering several key questions about the factors that most impact growth after a country’s independence, the main area of interest being the relationship between development and more community-driven environments for these states. The results lead to a variety of findings that include, on some level, evidence of a positive relationship between these elements.