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 …

Lack of trust in state institutions, often due to poor service provision, is a pervasive problem in many developing … countries. If this increases reliance on non-state actors for crucial services, the resulting self-reinforcing cycle can further … weaken the state. This paper examines whether such a cycle can be disrupted. We focus on dispute resolution in rural Punjab …

regulate the economy and to withstand the political and social challenges from non-state actors. I construct a model in which … the state apparatus is controlled by a self-interested ruler, who tries to divert resources for his own consumption, but … who can also invest in socially productive public goods. Both weak and strong states create distortions. When the state is …