State Capacity: What Is It and Why Is It Needed?

Reflecting on the recent past, two simultaneous forces are in play pertaining to capacities of governments – on the one hand, governments are expected to respond swiftly and effectively to risks and uncertainties; and on the other hand, there is a general increase in the expectations that citizens have from their governments in terms of breadth and depth of capacities. Governments are expected to handle issues related to governance of emerging technologies just as capably as issues related to social welfare. These dynamics require a systematic understanding of state capacity both at the conceptual and practical level.

The overarching motivating question is: State capacity for what? Sub-questions pertain to:

• What are the types and attributes of state capacity?
• What factors determine existence and level of state capacity?
• How can state capacity be enhanced?
• What are the changing expectations from and challenges to state capacity?
• How does state capacity affect policy design and outcomes?

These questions and sub-questions are not meant to be comprehensive, and we welcome submissions on a wide variety of important current and emerging public policy and public management issues that may not be directly aligned with the theme of state capacity.

The IPPN Annual Conference 2022 aims to bring together scholars and practitioners not only from India but also from across the world through high-quality academic research and policy case studies.

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