Social Policy and State Capacity from a Sub-National Perspective

Abstract

Abstract Cross-national research on Latin American social policy has taken state capacity for granted. We argue that this omission has important consequences, especially in decentralized countries where there are large capacity differences across the territory. State capacity matters for the development of the welfare state at every stage of the policymaking process, including program design, implementation, and outcomes. Capable states are able to design social policies that cover a broad segment of the population and enjoy financial viability. Moreover, policy implementation is more successful in strong states, as they are able to reach all corners of the territory and provide higher-quality services. These high-quality services, in turn, can promote well-being. In this chapter, we focus on the ability of the state to successfully administer the provision of basic health services in Argentina and Chile. We selected the cases because they are examples of capable states at the national level, but exhibit important sub-national variation.While we would expect territorial gaps in a federal, decentralized country such as Argentina, the results in Chile are the more surprising, given its unitary and centralized character.