. We develop a dynamic contest model of the potential competition between state (controlled by a ruler or a group of elites … leads to different types of steady states depending on initial conditions. One type of steady state, corresponding to a weak … state, emerges when civil society is strong relative to the state (e.g., having developed social norms limiting political …

present evidence that this is caused both by the capture of new politicians and barriers to institution and state capacity …

conduct an empirical investigation of the impact of one key set of institutions, the capacity of the US state as proxied by … the way in which the US created an immensely capable and effective state …