The Original Sin of Latin American States: Formation, Building, and Capacity

The capacity of the state in Latin America is limited, preventing the implementation of policies to address problems that have been historically necessary (e.g., under-nutrition, poverty, or security). While existing explanations propose that Latin American states emerged weak as a by-product of independence — its original sin — there is no consensus on why low state capacity has persisted in spite of political and economic shocks in the last two centuries that could have been expected to influence state capacity. A research agenda on the long-term determinants of state capacity should be informed by emerging, historically rooted, scholarship on state formation and state building. We review recent publications on these topics with two objectives. First, we provide an analytical synthesis of recent contributions. Second, this synthesis suggests future research on state capacity in the region. In particular, we emphasize the role of elites, geography, institutional dynamics, mid-range theories and methods sensitive to processes and time. We believe that a consideration of these elements can contribute to the development of theory and the integration of state capacity in Latin America, as well as facilitate a more fluid dialogue with literature focused on other parts of the world.