Unpacking the Strength of the State: The Utility of State Infrastructural Power

Abstract

States are central to development and human well-being. 1 In Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which for many contemporary commentators epitomize weak or fragile states, the inability to provide security and establish a presence throughout their territory has left local communities vulnerable to warlords and militias and undermined the prospect of economic growth and basic social provision. Other states, for instance Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Peru, have been better able to bring an end to enduring cycles of civil violence and warfare. Yet the provision of basic security and public goods remains fragmented and confined to certain territorial areas, leaving out substantial parts of the population. 2 Unlike these countries, a wide range of others, including Costa Rica and the Indian state of Kerala, while by no means endowed with a strong state by any conventional means, St Comp Int Dev (2008) 43:219-230

Social History and Historical Sociology

“…Undoubtedly to be praised are the achievements in connection with research on the state. The initially rather loose talk of the "autonomy of the state" is no longer en vogue since in the meantime, for example, Michael Mann's distinction between the despotic and infrastructural power of the state has been demonstrated as being extremely fruitful [Soifer 2008;Soifer/vom Hau 2008]. state administrations are now among the best analyzed themes of historical sociology.…”

Introduction: State capacity and elections in the study of authoritarian regimes

“…Quantitative, crossnational studies lack the necessary data to capture subnational variation in state capacity, although the qualitative state building literature provides plenty of evidence for important subnational and sectoral variation within a given country (Soifer and vom Hau, 2008; Koehler and Ufen in this special issue).…”

Taming the “Rogue” Sector: Studying State Effectiveness in Africa through Informal Transport Politics

“…As argued in the introduction to a recent journal issue dedicated to the concept, it should be distinguished from both bureaucratic professionalism and state autonomy. 24 Proposition three is that states will be more effective where they have a greater degree of infrastructural power. Again, this may be hard to identify and measure but is worthy of exploration through case material.…”