Beyond regulation and redistribution: the state as a productive economic actor

Political economists highlight power relations in the economy and the coconstitution of state and economy, but often implicitly retain the conception of the state as a site of political practices and power struggles rather than as an economic actor and site of production. This paper contributes to a political economy framework that recognizes that political and economic practices take place in the market economy, the household, and the state. We categorize the dimensions of wide-ranging state economic practices. Defining productive activities as those that impact the volume of social production, we argue that some state activities are productive and highlight those providing social and physical infrastructures that are inputs in production processes. The state is not only an important economic player; it is also productive.