Concept
Mann (1984) distinguished despotic power, deciding without consulting society, from infrastructural power, implementing policy throughout society. State capacity mainly refers to the latter. Skocpol (1985) urged treating the state as an actor in its own right, linked to state autonomy.
Origins and types
Besley and Persson (2009) split capacity into fiscal and legal capacity and argued common threats such as war drive investment in it. A professional, merit-based bureaucracy is a key foundation, whereas neopatrimonial states built on personal patronage tend to be weak.
Measurement and development
Soifer and vom Hau (2008) discussed comparative uses of infrastructural power, Fukuyama (2013) proposed measuring governance by capacity and autonomy, and Hanson and Sigman (2021) built a latent measure. Dincecco (2017) linked strong capacity to long-run development, connecting to the developmental state.
FAQ
- What is state capacity in simple terms?
- A state's ability to actually get things done: collect taxes, enforce laws and provide services.
- How is it measured?
- With indicators such as tax revenue share, bureaucratic quality, census capacity and service coverage.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Mann, M. (1984). The autonomous power of the state: Its origins, mechanisms and results. European Journal of Sociology, 25(2), 185–213. Distinguishes despotic and infrastructural power.
- Skocpol, T. (1985). Bringing the state back in: Strategies of analysis in current research. In P. B. Evans, D. Rueschemeyer, & T. Skocpol (Eds.), Bringing the state back in (pp. 3–37). Cambridge University Press. Bringing the state back into analysis.
- Soifer, H., & vom Hau, M. (2008). Unpacking the strength of the state: The utility of state infrastructural power. Studies in Comparative International Development, 43(3–4), 219–230. Applying infrastructural power comparatively.
- Besley, T., & Persson, T. (2009). The origins of state capacity: Property rights, taxation, and politics. American Economic Review, 99(4), 1218–1244. Models fiscal and legal capacity.
- Fukuyama, F. (2013). What is governance? Governance, 26(3), 347–368. Measuring governance via capacity and autonomy.
- Hanson, J. K., & Sigman, R. (2021). Leviathan's latent dimensions: Measuring state capacity for comparative political research. The Journal of Politics, 83(4), 1495–1510. A latent measure of state capacity.
- Dincecco, M. (2017). State capacity and economic development: Present and past. Cambridge University Press. State capacity and development.