A Cross-National Comparison of Sub-National Variation

Previous research has highlighted that, in addition to being operationally opaque, the concept of state capacity has been confined to national and cross-national analysis, with inadequate attention paid to variations at the regional and sub-national levels of the state. Our current research seeks to help remedy this lacuna. Inspired by the growing consensus that state capacity is not monolithic, but instead comprises capabilities distributed in distinct ways across sectors and institutions, we have developed a parsimonious approach to understanding the concept so as to increase its utility. Specifically, we explore variations in the provision of government services across sectors, wealth, geography, and urbanity in three countries: India, Peru, and Ukraine—representing Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Importantly, we offer an analysis of state capacity as a function of variation as measured by standard deviation.