quasi-state

A quasi-state (sometimes referred to as a state-like entity or formatively a proto-state) is a political entity, that does not represent a fully autonomous sovereign state, with its own institutions.

The precise definition of quasi-state in political literature fluctuates depending on the context in which it is used. It has been used by some modern scholars to describe the self-governing British colonies and dependencies that exercised a form of home rule but remained crucial parts of the British Empire and subject firstly to the metropole's administration. Similarly, the Republics of the Soviet Union, which represented administrative units with their own respective national distinctions, have also been described as quasi-states.