The Problématique of State Capitalism

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on theoretical reconstruction and conceptual development. It argues that unleashing the generative potential of state capitalism as a lens for analysis requires three conceptual moves. First, it requires rethinking how we conceive of state capitalism as a representational category. The chapter makes the case not to use state capitalism as a static analytical construct, but as a set of critical interrogations concerning the changing role of the state. Conceiving state capitalism as a research puzzle rather than a turnkey category ready to be deployed in empirical research can help us address the series of theoretical, political, and geographical conundrums raised by the present upward trajectory in the repertoires of state intervention. Second, unleashing the productive potential of state capitalism requires that we firmly locate it within a set of logical relations with other fundamental political economic categories, such as the capitalist state and capital accumulation. Instead of juxtaposing state capitalism to other varieties of capitalism (presumed to be more conventional), we must clearly articulate how the category relates to the capitalist state. For this, a solid grounding in materialist state theory is crucial. Third, bolstering the analytical purchase of the category state capitalism demands a keener attention to questions of space and time. To do so, the chapter brings state capitalism into conversation, epistemologically and methodologically, with the notion of uneven and combined development, thereby enabling a major conceptual and programmatic reorientation of the field. The chapter calls this ‘uneven and combined state capitalism’.