State Capitalism

Abstract The recent rise of companies from emerging markets, especially China, has led to a slew of studies based on the concept of “state capitalism.” However, definitions of this term vary significantly. We review how various leading authors use the term state capitalism to draw out differences between, and similarities within, those conceptualizations. By doing so, we seek to 1) define what “state capitalism” is (and is not); 2) demonstrate how the dimensions of state capitalism vary; and 3) put forward a range of Weberian “ideal types” of state capitalism. This enables us to highlight the dimensions along which state capitalisms vary as well as to specify the means that state capitalisms use in an effort to achieve their objectives, opening up important new areas for interdisciplinary research.