ECONOMY

chapter 39
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THEROLEOFTHE
STATE IN
DEVELOPMENT
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robert h. bates
Addressing the role of the state in development, this chapter seeks both to synthesize
and to innovate. So vast is the literature—it runs from anthropology (e.g. Colson
1974) through international relations (e.g. Keohane 1984) and comparative politics
(e.g. Kang 2002) and on to political economy (e.g. Evans 1995)—that any synthesis
must of necessity be selective. To structure to my treatment of this literature, I
therefore advance a blunt thesis—“no state, no development.” Before elaborating
my argument, I first clarify my terms and intentions and defend against criticisms
implicit in the literature. After fully developing my argument, I conclude by noting
its implications for future research.
1 Background
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So bald a thesis demands clarification. I ground my conception of development in
political economy and regard it as the achievement of political security and economic
prosperity. My goal is purposefully minimalist: I focus on the transformation of the
∗ The research reviewed in this chapter was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant SES
9905568), the Carnegie Corporation, and the Center for International Development and Weatherhead
Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. I wish to thank Barry Weingast for the tough and
supportive comments made on earlier versions of this chapter. The deficiencies that remain are my
responsibility alone.