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The State of State Capacity : a review of concepts, evidence and measures

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  • Cingolani L

    (UNU-MERIT)

Abstract

This working paper is part of the research programme on Institutions, Governance and Longterm Economic Growth, a partnership between the French Development Agency AFD and the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance Maastricht University UNUMerit. The research builds on the Institutional Profiles Database IPD, jointly developed by AFD and the French Ministry of the Economy since 2001.What is state capacity and how does it affect development The concept of state capacity acquired centrality during the late seventies and eighties, sponsored by a rather compact set of scholarly works. It later permeated through several disciplines and has now earned a place within the many governance dimensions affecting economic performance. The present article aims to provide a historical account of the evolution and usage of the state capacity concept, along with its various operationalizations. It examines in particular a the growing distance in the usage of the concept by different disciplinary and thematic fields; b the process of branching out of the concept from restricted to more multidimensional definitions; c the problems with construct validity and concept stretching, and d the generalized lack of clarity that exists regarding the institutional sources of state capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Cingolani L, 2013. "The State of State Capacity : a review of concepts, evidence and measures," MERIT Working Papers 2013-053, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2013053
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    File URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2013/wp2013-053.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. David Hulme & Antonio Savoia & Kunal Sen, 2015. "Governance as a Global Development Goal? Setting, Measuring and Monitoring the Post-2015 Development Agenda," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 6(2), pages 85-96, May.
    3. Ines A. Ferreira, 2018. "An empirical analysis of state fragility and growth: The impact of state ineffectiveness and political violence," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-29, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Flechtner, Svenja & Panther, Stephan, 2017. "Global and domestic inequalities and the political economy of the midde-income trap," Working Paper Series Ök-29, Cusanus Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung, Institut für Ökonomie.
    5. Stepping, Katharina M. K. & Banholzer, Lilli, 2017. "Autocratic angels? Democratic demons? The impact of regime type, state capacity and economic development on reaching environmental targets," IDOS Discussion Papers 26/2017, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    6. Gustavo Bastos Braga & Douglas Gomes Martins, 2023. "Building a State Capacity Index for Municipal Governments of Minas Gerais," RAC - Revista de Administração Contemporânea (Journal of Contemporary Administration), ANPAD - Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, vol. 27(Vol. 27 N), pages 210135-2101.
    7. Ines A. Ferreira, 2018. "An empirical analysis of state fragility and growth: The impact of state ineffectiveness and political violence," WIDER Working Paper Series 029, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Keren Borenstein-Nativ, 2021. "Financial governance in a neoliberal era: controlling the banks by controlling their managerial recruitment sources," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(3), pages 232-249, September.
    9. Gassmann, Franziska & Mohnen, Pierre & Vinci, Vincenzo, 2016. "Institutional factors and people's preferences in social protection," MERIT Working Papers 2016-003, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    10. Cingolani, Luciana & Thomsson, Kaj & de Crombrugghe, Denis, 2015. "Minding Weber More Than Ever? The Impacts of State Capacity and Bureaucratic Autonomy on Development Goals," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 191-207.
    11. Kustov, Alexander & Pardelli, Giuliana, 2024. "Beyond Diversity: The Role of State Capacity in Fostering Social Cohesion in Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    12. María Franco Chuaire & Carlos Scartascini & Mariano Tommasi, 2017. "State capacity and the quality of policies. Revisiting the relationship between openness and government size," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 133-156, July.
    13. Silvia Pianta & Elina Brutschin, 2022. "Emissions Lock-in, Capacity, and Public Opinion: How Insights From Political Science Can Inform Climate Modeling Efforts," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(3), pages 186-199.
    14. Li, Weijia & Roland, Gérard & Xie, Yang, 2020. "Erosion of state power, corruption control, and political stability," BOFIT Discussion Papers 5/2020, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    15. Ali Fisunoglu & Kyungkook Kang & Tad Kugler & Marina Arbetman-Rabinowitz, 2023. "Relative political capacity: A dataset to evaluate the performance of nations, 1960–2018," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 40(3), pages 325-345, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption; Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Structure and Scope of Government; Taxation; Subsidies; Revenue;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General

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