A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or land area, usually both. However, the meanings of "state" and "very small" are not well-defined in international law. Some recent attempts to define microstates have focused on identifying qualitative features that are linked to their size and population, such as partial delegation of their sovereignty to larger states, such as for international defense.
Commonly accepted examples of microstates include five historic European microstates: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. Malta, Iceland and Luxembourg are sometimes included in that list but are generally considered too populous to be genuine microstates. Other examples are small, isolated island states in the Pacific Ocean that gained independence from the European or Australasian powers: Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu. The smallest political entity recognized as a sovereign state is Vatican City, with fewer than 1,000 residents and an area of only 49 hectares (120 acres). Some microstates – such as Monaco and Vatican City – are city-states consisting of a single municipality.
Definitions
Quantitative
Most scholars identify microstates by using a quantitative threshold and applying it to either one variable (such as the size of its territory or population) or a composite of different variables. While it is agreed that microstates are the smallest of all states, there is no consensus on what variable (or variables) or cut-off point should be used to determine which political units should be labelled as "microstates" (as opposed to small "normal" states). According to some scholars the quantitative approach to defining microstates suffers from such problems as "inconsistency, arbitrariness, vagueness and inability to meaningfully isolate qualitatively distinct political units".
Qualitative
Some academics have suggested defining microstates according to the unique features that are linked to their geographic or demographic smallness. Newer approaches have proposed looking at the behaviour or capacity to operate in the international arena in order to determine which states should deserve the microstate label. Yet, it has been argued[by whom?] that such approaches could lead to either confusing microstates with weak states (or failed states) or relying too much on subjective perceptions.
An alternative approach is to define microstates as "modern protected states". According to the definition proposed by Dumienski (2014): "microstates are modern protected states, i.e. sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints." Adopting this approach permits limiting the number of microstates and separating them from both small states and autonomies or dependencies.
The smallest political unit recognized as a sovereign state is the Vatican City, though its precise status is sometimes disputed, e.g., argued in 1972 that "[i]n two respects it may be doubted whether the territorial entity, the Vatican City, meets the traditional criteria of statehood".
Politics
Statistical research has shown that microstates are more likely to be democracies than larger states. In 2012, Freedom House classified 86% of the countries with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants as "free". This shows that countries with small populations often had a high degree of political freedom and civil liberties, which is one of the hallmarks of democracies. Some scholars have taken the statistical correlation between small size and democracy as a sign that smallness is beneficial to the development of a democratic political system, mentioning social cohesiveness, opportunities for direct communication and homogeneity of interests as possible explanations for why this is the case.
Case study research, however, has led some researchers to believe that the statistical evidence belies the anti-democratic elements of microstate politics. Due to small populations, family and personal relations are often decisive in microstate politics. In some cases, this impedes neutral and formal decision-making and instead leads to undemocratic political activity, such as clientelism, corruption, particularism and executive dominance.
The high number of democracies amongst microstates could be explained by their colonial history. Most microstates adopted the same political system as their colonial ruler. Because of the high number of microstates that were British colonies in the past, microstates often have a majoritarian and parliamentary political system similar to the Westminster system. Some microstates with a history as British colony have implemented some aspects of a consensus political system, to adapt to their geographic features or societal make-up. While the colonial history often determines what political systems microstates have, they do implement changes to better accommodate their specific characteristics.
Microstates and international relations
Microstates often rely on other countries in order to survive, as they have a small military capacity and a lack of resources. This had led some to believe that microstates are forced to subordinate themselves to larger states which reduces their sovereignty. However, research has shown that microstates strategically engage in patron-client relationships with other countries. This allows them to trade some privileges to countries that can advance their interests the most. Examples of this are microstates that establish a tax haven or sell their support in international committees in exchange for military and economic support.
Historical anomalies and aspirant states
A small number of tiny sovereign political units have been founded on historic anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law. Those types of states, often labelled as "microstates," are usually located on small (usually disputed) territorial enclaves, generate limited economic activity founded on tourism and philatelic and numismatic sales, and are tolerated or ignored by the nations from which they claim to have seceded.
The Republic of Indian Stream, now the town of Pittsburg, New Hampshire, was a geographic anomaly that had been left unresolved by the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War, and was claimed by both the United States and Canada. Between 1832 and 1835, the area's residents refused to acknowledge either claimant.
The Cospaia Republic became independent by a treaty error and survived from 1440 to 1826. Its independence made it important in the introduction of tobacco cultivation to Italy.
Couto Misto was disputed by Spain and Portugal and operated as a sovereign state until the 1864 Treaty of Lisbon partitioned the territory, with the larger part becoming part of Spain.
Jaxa was a small state that existed during the 17th century at the border between Tsardom of Russia and Qing China. Despite its location in East Asia, the state's primary language was Polish.
See also
- City-state
- European microstates
- Free State of Fiume
- Free Territory of Trieste
- Island country
- List of countries and dependencies by population density
- List of countries and outlying territories by total area
- List of countries by population
- Microstates and the United Nations
- Neutral Moresnet
References
- Warrington, Edward (June 1994). "Lilliput Revisited". Asian Journal of Public Administration. 16 (1): 3–13. doi:10.1080/02598272.1994.10800284.
- Mehmet, Ozay; Tahiroglu, M. (1 January 2002). "Growth and equity in microstates: Does size matter in development?". International Journal of Social Economics. 29 (1/2): 152–162. doi:10.1108/03068290210413047.
- Boyce, Peter J.; Herr, Richard A. (April 1974). "Microstate diplomacy in the south pacific". Australian Outlook. 28 (1): 24–35. doi:10.1080/10357717408444489.
- Reid, George L. (1974). The impact of very small size on the international behavior of microstates. Beverly Hills, Calif: Sage Publications. ISBN 9780803904064.
- Dumienski, Zbigniew (2014). Microstates as Modern Protected States: Towards a New Definition of Micro-Statehood (PDF) (Report). Occasional Paper. Centre for Small State Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
- Neemia, U. (1995). Smallness, islandness and foreign policy behaviour: aspects of island microstates foreign policy behaviour with special reference to Cook Islands and Kiribati (Thesis). University of Wollongong. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024.
- Dommen, E. (1985). Hein, P. (ed.). States, Microstates and Islands. London; Dover, N.H: Routledge Kegan & Paul. ISBN 978-0-7099-0862-3.
- Amstrup, Niels (June 1976). "The Perennial Problem of Small States: A Survey of Research Efforts". Cooperation and Conflict. 11 (2): 163–182. doi:10.1177/001083677601100202. ISSN 0010-8367.
- Ingebritsen, Christine; Neumann, Iver; Gstöhl, Sieglinde; Beyer, Jessica, eds. (May 2006). Small States in International Relations: Lilliputians in Gulliver's World?. New directions in Scandinavian studies. Seattle : Reykjavik: University of Washington Press; University of Iceland Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98524-4. OCLC 63171147.
- Wivel, Anders; Oest, Kajsa Ji Noe (September 2010). "Security, profit or shadow of the past? Explaining the security strategies of microstates". Cambridge Review of International Affairs. 23 (3): 429–453. doi:10.1080/09557571.2010.484047. ISSN 0955-7571.
- Mendelson, M. H. (October 1972). "Diminutive States in the United Nations". International and Comparative Law Quarterly. 21 (4): 609–630. doi:10.1093/iclqaj/21.4.609. ISSN 0020-5893.[better source needed]
- Veenendaal, Wouter P. (2015). "Democracy in microstates: why smallness does not produce a democratic political system". Democratization. 22 (1): 92–112. doi:10.1080/13510347.2013.820710. ISSN 1351-0347.
- Anckar, Dag (July 2004). "Regime choices in microstates: the cultural constraint". Commonwealth & Comparative Politics. 42 (2): 206–223. doi:10.1080/1466204042000299263. ISSN 1466-2043.
- Corbett, Jack (January 2015). ""Everybody knows everybody": practising politics in the Pacific Islands". Democratization. 22 (1): 51–72. doi:10.1080/13510347.2013.811233. hdl:10072/60226. ISSN 1351-0347.
- Erk, Jan; Veenendaal, Wouter (July 2014). "Is Small Really Beautiful?: The Microstate Mistake". Journal of Democracy. 25 (3): 135–148. doi:10.1353/jod.2014.0054. ISSN 1086-3214.
- Anckar, Dag (February 2008). "Microstate Democracy: Majority or Consensus; Diffusion or Problem-Solving?". Democratization. 15 (1): 67–85. doi:10.1080/13510340701768158. ISSN 1351-0347.
- Sharman, J.C. (October 2017). "Sovereignty at the Extremes: Micro-States in World Politics". Political Studies. 65 (3): 559–575. doi:10.1177/0032321716665392. hdl:10072/353417. ISSN 0032-3217.
- Veenendaal, Wouter P. (2017). "Analyzing the Foreign Policy of Microstates: The Relevance of the International Patron-Client Model". Foreign Policy Analysis: 561–577. doi:10.1111/fpa.12068.
- Doan, Daniel; Daniell, Jere R.; MacDougall, Ruth Doan (1997). Indian Stream Republic: settling a New England frontier, 1785-1842. Library of New England. Jere R. Daniell, Ruth Doan MacDougall. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. ISBN 978-0-87451-767-5. OCLC 35651345.
- Jepson, Tim (2009). The rough guide to Tuscany & Umbria. Jonathan Buckley, Mark Ellingham, Rough Guides (7th ed.). New York: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-4053-8529-9. OCLC 743223039.
- United Nations (2001-02-14). "Treaty Series 1889". United Nations Treaty Series. UN. doi:10.18356/a43b73bc-en-fr. ISBN 978-92-1-045419-3. ISSN 2412-1495.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Sulewski, Wojciech (1973). Konterfekty dziwnych Polaków. Iskry. OCLC 69483582.
Further reading
- Sack, John; Silverstein, Shel (1959). Report from Practically Nowhere. Harper & Brothers. ASIN B0006D96LU. OCLC 1321371.
A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or land area usually both However the meanings of state and very small are not well defined in international law Some recent attempts to define microstates have focused on identifying qualitative features that are linked to their size and population such as partial delegation of their sovereignty to larger states such as for international defense The world s five smallest sovereign states by area from largest to smallest San Marino Tuvalu Nauru Monaco and Vatican City shown in the same scale for size comparisonMap of the smallest states in the world by population or land area Commonly accepted examples of microstates include five historic European microstates Andorra Liechtenstein Monaco San Marino and Vatican City Malta Iceland and Luxembourg are sometimes included in that list but are generally considered too populous to be genuine microstates Other examples are small isolated island states in the Pacific Ocean that gained independence from the European or Australasian powers Nauru Palau and Tuvalu The smallest political entity recognized as a sovereign state is Vatican City with fewer than 1 000 residents and an area of only 49 hectares 120 acres Some microstates such as Monaco and Vatican City are city states consisting of a single municipality DefinitionsQuantitative Most scholars identify microstates by using a quantitative threshold and applying it to either one variable such as the size of its territory or population or a composite of different variables While it is agreed that microstates are the smallest of all states there is no consensus on what variable or variables or cut off point should be used to determine which political units should be labelled as microstates as opposed to small normal states According to some scholars the quantitative approach to defining microstates suffers from such problems as inconsistency arbitrariness vagueness and inability to meaningfully isolate qualitatively distinct political units Qualitative Vatican City the smallest independent country in Europe with 0 49 km2 120 acres is also the smallest in the world Some academics have suggested defining microstates according to the unique features that are linked to their geographic or demographic smallness Newer approaches have proposed looking at the behaviour or capacity to operate in the international arena in order to determine which states should deserve the microstate label Yet it has been argued by whom that such approaches could lead to either confusing microstates with weak states or failed states or relying too much on subjective perceptions An alternative approach is to define microstates as modern protected states According to the definition proposed by Dumienski 2014 microstates are modern protected states i e sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints Adopting this approach permits limiting the number of microstates and separating them from both small states and autonomies or dependencies The smallest political unit recognized as a sovereign state is the Vatican City though its precise status is sometimes disputed e g argued in 1972 that i n two respects it may be doubted whether the territorial entity the Vatican City meets the traditional criteria of statehood St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean Sea the smallest independent country in the Americas with 261 km2 101 sq mi PoliticsStatistical research has shown that microstates are more likely to be democracies than larger states In 2012 Freedom House classified 86 of the countries with fewer than 500 000 inhabitants as free This shows that countries with small populations often had a high degree of political freedom and civil liberties which is one of the hallmarks of democracies Some scholars have taken the statistical correlation between small size and democracy as a sign that smallness is beneficial to the development of a democratic political system mentioning social cohesiveness opportunities for direct communication and homogeneity of interests as possible explanations for why this is the case Seychelles in the Indian Ocean the smallest independent country in Africa with 459 km2 177 sq mi Case study research however has led some researchers to believe that the statistical evidence belies the anti democratic elements of microstate politics Due to small populations family and personal relations are often decisive in microstate politics In some cases this impedes neutral and formal decision making and instead leads to undemocratic political activity such as clientelism corruption particularism and executive dominance The high number of democracies amongst microstates could be explained by their colonial history Most microstates adopted the same political system as their colonial ruler Because of the high number of microstates that were British colonies in the past microstates often have a majoritarian and parliamentary political system similar to the Westminster system Some microstates with a history as British colony have implemented some aspects of a consensus political system to adapt to their geographic features or societal make up While the colonial history often determines what political systems microstates have they do implement changes to better accommodate their specific characteristics Microstates and international relations Microstates often rely on other countries in order to survive as they have a small military capacity and a lack of resources This had led some to believe that microstates are forced to subordinate themselves to larger states which reduces their sovereignty However research has shown that microstates strategically engage in patron client relationships with other countries This allows them to trade some privileges to countries that can advance their interests the most Examples of this are microstates that establish a tax haven or sell their support in international committees in exchange for military and economic support Historical anomalies and aspirant statesA small number of tiny sovereign political units have been founded on historic anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law Those types of states often labelled as microstates are usually located on small usually disputed territorial enclaves generate limited economic activity founded on tourism and philatelic and numismatic sales and are tolerated or ignored by the nations from which they claim to have seceded The Republic of Indian Stream now the town of Pittsburg New Hampshire was a geographic anomaly that had been left unresolved by the Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolutionary War and was claimed by both the United States and Canada Between 1832 and 1835 the area s residents refused to acknowledge either claimant The Cospaia Republic became independent by a treaty error and survived from 1440 to 1826 Its independence made it important in the introduction of tobacco cultivation to Italy Maldives in the Indian Ocean the smallest independent country in Asia with an area of 298 km2 115 sq mi Couto Misto was disputed by Spain and Portugal and operated as a sovereign state until the 1864 Treaty of Lisbon partitioned the territory with the larger part becoming part of Spain Jaxa was a small state that existed during the 17th century at the border between Tsardom of Russia and Qing China Despite its location in East Asia the state s primary language was Polish See alsoCity state European microstates Free State of Fiume Free Territory of Trieste Island country List of countries and dependencies by population density List of countries and outlying territories by total area List of countries by population Microstates and the United Nations Neutral MoresnetReferencesWarrington Edward June 1994 Lilliput Revisited Asian Journal of Public Administration 16 1 3 13 doi 10 1080 02598272 1994 10800284 Mehmet Ozay Tahiroglu M 1 January 2002 Growth and equity in microstates Does size matter in development International Journal of Social Economics 29 1 2 152 162 doi 10 1108 03068290210413047 Boyce Peter J Herr Richard A April 1974 Microstate diplomacy in the south pacific Australian Outlook 28 1 24 35 doi 10 1080 10357717408444489 Reid George L 1974 The impact of very small size on the international behavior of microstates Beverly Hills Calif Sage Publications ISBN 9780803904064 Dumienski Zbigniew 2014 Microstates as Modern Protected States Towards a New Definition of Micro Statehood PDF Report Occasional Paper Centre for Small State Studies Archived from the original PDF on 2014 07 14 Retrieved 2014 06 07 Neemia U 1995 Smallness islandness and foreign policy behaviour aspects of island microstates foreign policy behaviour with special reference to Cook Islands and Kiribati Thesis University of Wollongong Archived from the original on 19 February 2024 Dommen E 1985 Hein P ed States Microstates and Islands London Dover N H Routledge Kegan amp Paul ISBN 978 0 7099 0862 3 Amstrup Niels June 1976 The Perennial Problem of Small States A Survey of Research Efforts Cooperation and Conflict 11 2 163 182 doi 10 1177 001083677601100202 ISSN 0010 8367 Ingebritsen Christine Neumann Iver Gstohl Sieglinde Beyer Jessica eds May 2006 Small States in International Relations Lilliputians in Gulliver s World New directions in Scandinavian studies Seattle Reykjavik University of Washington Press University of Iceland Press ISBN 978 0 295 98524 4 OCLC 63171147 Wivel Anders Oest Kajsa Ji Noe September 2010 Security profit or shadow of the past Explaining the security strategies of microstates Cambridge Review of International Affairs 23 3 429 453 doi 10 1080 09557571 2010 484047 ISSN 0955 7571 Mendelson M H October 1972 Diminutive States in the United Nations International and Comparative Law Quarterly 21 4 609 630 doi 10 1093 iclqaj 21 4 609 ISSN 0020 5893 better source needed Veenendaal Wouter P 2015 Democracy in microstates why smallness does not produce a democratic political system Democratization 22 1 92 112 doi 10 1080 13510347 2013 820710 ISSN 1351 0347 Anckar Dag July 2004 Regime choices in microstates the cultural constraint Commonwealth amp Comparative Politics 42 2 206 223 doi 10 1080 1466204042000299263 ISSN 1466 2043 Corbett Jack January 2015 Everybody knows everybody practising politics in the Pacific Islands Democratization 22 1 51 72 doi 10 1080 13510347 2013 811233 hdl 10072 60226 ISSN 1351 0347 Erk Jan Veenendaal Wouter July 2014 Is Small Really Beautiful The Microstate Mistake Journal of Democracy 25 3 135 148 doi 10 1353 jod 2014 0054 ISSN 1086 3214 Anckar Dag February 2008 Microstate Democracy Majority or Consensus Diffusion or Problem Solving Democratization 15 1 67 85 doi 10 1080 13510340701768158 ISSN 1351 0347 Sharman J C October 2017 Sovereignty at the Extremes Micro States in World Politics Political Studies 65 3 559 575 doi 10 1177 0032321716665392 hdl 10072 353417 ISSN 0032 3217 Veenendaal Wouter P 2017 Analyzing the Foreign Policy of Microstates The Relevance of the International Patron Client Model Foreign Policy Analysis 561 577 doi 10 1111 fpa 12068 Doan Daniel Daniell Jere R MacDougall Ruth Doan 1997 Indian Stream Republic settling a New England frontier 1785 1842 Library of New England Jere R Daniell Ruth Doan MacDougall Hanover NH University Press of New England ISBN 978 0 87451 767 5 OCLC 35651345 Jepson Tim 2009 The rough guide to Tuscany amp Umbria Jonathan Buckley Mark Ellingham Rough Guides 7th ed New York Rough Guides ISBN 978 1 4053 8529 9 OCLC 743223039 United Nations 2001 02 14 Treaty Series 1889 United Nations Treaty Series UN doi 10 18356 a43b73bc en fr ISBN 978 92 1 045419 3 ISSN 2412 1495 a href wiki Template Cite journal title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Sulewski Wojciech 1973 Konterfekty dziwnych Polakow Iskry OCLC 69483582 Further readingSack John Silverstein Shel 1959 Report from Practically Nowhere Harper amp Brothers ASIN B0006D96LU OCLC 1321371
