The state, as an organizational actor, holds an important role in the national sphere as a provider of public goods (social contract), and when it fails to do so, it is seen as state failure. This failure is conceptualized along a general spectrum from weak, failed, to collapsed. This analysis examines the theoretical concepts of state failure and the utility of labelling states along this spectrum. The literature overview shows that there is generally agreement that state failure is a linear process, and it is conceptualized in terms of stages. However, there is a distinct conceptual disagreement on the definition of the stages among scholars, as well as key indicators to measure state failure. An examination of the four dominant datasets indicates that they and their comparative results provide little basis for classifying states of value for decision-makers contemplating intervention in some form or other. Future research, theoretical, conceptual and empirical is needed to provide a basis for evaluating the most useful tools or options for intervention along the process of state failure.