André Wright, Production Editor

Jamaica significantly improved its rankings in the latest issue of the Failed States Index (FSI) while Caribbean neighbour Haiti remained rooted among the worst of the lot three years after a bloody coup.

The July/August issue of the index, which is published annually, ranked Jamaica at 123, a quantum leap from its 2006 showing at No. 97.

The Failed States Index, which assesses a number of social, political and economic indicators among 177 countries, is a weather vane for global organisations and firms in calculating political and investment risks and crafting policy.

Scandinavia again hogged the best rankings, with Norway, Finland, Sweden, Ireland and Switzerland securing the five most favourable assessments. New Zealand, Iceland, Denmark, Australia and Canada round out the top 10.

The five most ungovernable states were Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, Zimbabwe and Chad, areas wracked by war, terrorism, economic collapse and population displacement. Africa represents 60 per cent of the 20 most failed states.

Bahamas, Barbados ahead

Jamaica trails Caribbean economic powerhouses, Bahamas and Barbados, which occupy 129th and 130th places, respectively.

But other regional states lag behind in the FSI, such as Belize on the Central American mainland, Grenada, still struggling to recover from a double dose of hurricanes, and Trinidad and Tobago, which is grappling with the scourge of soaring crime.

Haiti occupies 11th spot, a slight improvement from its eighth-place ranking last year.

The FSI, a project of the Fund for Peace, in collaboration with the Foreign Policy magazine, was introduced in 2005.

Among the indices of state failure are "the erosion of legitimate authority to make collectively decisions and an inability to provide reasonable public services".

andre.wright@gleanerjm.com