Third-generation theories of revolution pointed to the structural vulnerabilities of regimes as
the basic causes of revolutions. In the last decade, critics of structural theories have argued …

Theoretical work on taxation and state-building borrows heavily from early modern
European experience. While a number of European states increased centralized tax …

In informal urban areas throughout the developing world, and even in some US and UK
neighborhoods, tens if not hundreds of millions of people live under some form of criminal …

Treating the “state” as a finished product gets in the way of understanding it. The state is
always in the making. This article, which acts as the Introduction to a special issue, argues …

For decades, mobility between the Sahel and northern Africa was mostly irregular, but not
clandestine. Most of the border crossings were supervised and (illegally) taxed by border …

This paper investigates the trade-offs between local elites and state agents as tax collectors
in low-capacity states. We study a randomized policy experiment assigning neighborhoods …

What role does war play in political development? Our understanding of the rise of the
nation-state is based heavily on the Western European experience of war. Challenging the …

Bargains, deals, and tacit understandings between states and insurgents are common in
civil wars. This fascinating mix of conflict and cooperation shapes patterns of politics …

Nationalism has become the most prevalent source of political conflict and violence in the
world. Scholarship has provided scant guidance about the prospects of containing the dark …