Failed State
Failed State by Sam Freedman is one of 2026's most credible books, appearing on 1 of the year's most respected lists, including The Economist, for a Consensus Score of 15 out of 100.
Appears on these lists
Our take
AI-draftedFreedman's argument, that Britain's dysfunction traces to decades of Westminster hoarding power it can't actually use well, lands because he backs it with insider detail rather than abstraction, drawing on conversations across the civil service and party lines. The three-part framing (overloaded, overpowered, overdrive) gives structure to what could otherwise be a familiar complaint about British decline. The weak spot critics have flagged is the solution: reform here mostly arrives from an enlightened prime minister redistributing power downward.
In the press
“a persuasive argument brought to life by a generous supply of telling quotes and good stories from insiders”
The Times“Brilliantly timed and frighteningly true”
Sir Anthony Seldon, cover endorsement
How the Consensus Score is calculated
Our Consensus Score is our own transparent editorial metric — not a user rating. It weighs each list by the credibility of its source, how recent the listing is, and any award status. Here is the full breakdown.
| Source | Authority | Recency | Award | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Economist | 0.95 | 0.70 | 1.00× | 0.67 |
| Weighted sum → Score | 0.67 → 15 | |||
Similar consensus books
Because they appear on some of the same lists.
Frequently asked
What lists is Failed State on?
Failed State appears on 1 list in our 2026 corpus, including The Economist.
What is its Consensus Score?
Failed State has a Consensus Score of 15 out of 100, our transparent editorial measure of how many credible lists agree on it.