State Capacity Research Articles

Trajectory of Democracy in Iran from 2009 to 2022: An Analysis Based on Charles Tilly’s Framework of Democratization and De-Democratization

ABSTRACT This study delves into the trajectory of democracy in Iran between 2009 and 2022, employing Charles Tilly’s framework of democratization and de-democratization. It investigates the factors that contribute to failure of moving toward democracy and explores how changes in nation-state cleavage impact the democratic landscape. The study examines how state power, including its capacity, capabilities, and degree of institutionalization, and nation power in Iran can be used to measure the extent of nation-state cleavage. It endeavors to elucidate the factors underpinning the regression of democratization in Iran. The findings underscore that the Green Movement and post-2017 protests have compelled the state to further securitize and amplify its repressive capacity, as evidenced by the expanded political, economic, and security sway of the IRGC. This phenomenon, compounded by international sanctions and the state’s inadequate efficacy in delivering social services, has led to a substantial withdrawal of trust networks from public politics, exacerbating processes of categorical inequality. Consequently, this erosion has engendered diminished protected consultation and bolstered state capacity in repression, thereby elucidating the downward trajectory of democratization in Iran.

Research and Prospect of CCUS‐EOR Technology and Carbon Emission Reduction Accounting Evaluation

ABSTRACTAs a potential carbon emission reduction measure, carbon capture, utilization and storage technology is of great significance to achieve the goals of “carbon peak” and “carbon neutrality.” The implementation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage‐enhanced oil recovery (CCUS‐EOR) in the oil and gas industry serves the dual purpose of utilizing greenhouse gases as resources and enhancing oil recovery. This approach is a key strategy for achieving carbon emission reductions. In this study, the key problems of source‐sink matching, injection mode, oil displacement storage, and leakage were analyzed in conjunction with CCUS‐EOR technology used in both domestic and foreign oil fields. Additionally, the carbon emission reduction accounting methods of different oil fields were compared. Carbon source, carbon dioxide concentration, capture, and transportation mode are important influencing factors of carbon source selection. The project should follow the principle of proximity and select high‐concentration gas source as the development object in the early stage; the main methods of carbon dioxide injection are continuous carbon dioxide injection, alternating water and gas injection, and CO2 huff and puff among which injection speed and injection pressure are the key parameters; the underground occurrence state and storage capacity of carbon dioxide gas are dynamic changes in the process of oil displacement and storage; the three parts of surface leakage, injection wellbore leakage, and production well production are the key points of CCUS‐EOR project leakage. The corresponding monitoring methods are analyzed for different leakage modes; the CCUS‐EOR carbon emission reduction accounting method is comprehensively analyzed, and the application of carbon emission reduction accounting methods in major oilfields is compared. The accounting method of “life cycle assessment (LCA) + emission factor method + actual measurement method” is proposed. The research holds significant importance for enhancing the entire CCUS‐EOR technology chain and refining the CCUS‐EOR emission reduction accounting methodology. It also facilitates the integration of CCUS‐EOR projects into the carbon trading market, thereby enabling the efficient development of carbon assets in carbon dioxide flooding projects within oil and gas fields.

Trithorax regulates long-term memory in Drosophila through epigenetic maintenance of mushroom body metabolic state and translation capacity.

The role of epigenetics and chromatin in the maintenance of postmitotic neuronal cell identities is not well understood. Here, we show that the histone methyltransferase Trithorax (Trx) is required in postmitotic memory neurons of the Drosophila mushroom body (MB) to enable their capacity for long-term memory (LTM), but not short-term memory (STM). Using MB-specific RNA-, ChIP-, and ATAC-sequencing, we find that Trx maintains homeostatic expression of several non-canonical MB-enriched transcripts, including the orphan nuclear receptor Hr51, and the metabolic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (Ldh). Through these key targets, Trx facilitates a metabolic state characterized by high lactate levels in MBγ neurons. This metabolic state supports a high capacity for protein translation, a process that is essential for LTM, but not STM. These data suggest that Trx, a classic regulator of cell type specification during development, has additional functions in maintaining underappreciated aspects of postmitotic neuron identity, such as metabolic state. Our work supports a body of evidence suggesting that a high capacity for energy metabolism is an essential cell identity characteristic for neurons that mediate LTM.

Leadership Development as the Key Anchor for Post-Covid-19 Pandemic, State Resilience and Sustenance in Africa: A Study of Nigerian Health System Experience and Support for SDG 3

Objective: The study aimed to interrogate how leadership and state capacities were developed to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and sustain state resilience for future emergencies. Theoretical Framework: The 1977 Institutional Theory of Meyer and Rowan is chosen for the underpinnings of this study. Methodology: The study adopted secondary sources of data collection and analysis. The secondary sources include Journals, books, newspapers, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease and Control. The thematic analysis technique was adopted to elicit concepts, coded into categories. The categories were later pattern-matched to generate themes adopted to answer the research questions. Results: The study showed that leadership and state capacities for resilience can be developed, managed, and sustained for future crises or emergencies. Discussion: Leadership development in the post covid era in states and different governments will undoubtedly contribute to goal 3 (SDG 3) of the 20230 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda. This goal 3 emphasised good health and wellbeing. Research Implications: Policymakers will gain more information on policymaking during post-covid in society. Originality/Values: Africa and generally developing countries were worst hit during Covid-19 and should embrace all efforts toward leadership development of post Covid-19.

Distribution Relationship of Quantum Battery Capacity

AbstractThe distribution relationship of quantum battery capacity is investigated. First, it is proved that for two‐qubit ‐states, the sum of the subsystem battery capacities does not exceed the total system's battery capacity, and the conditions are provided under which they are equal. Then define the difference between the total system's and subsystems' battery capacities as the residual battery capacity () and show that this can be divided into coherent and incoherent components. Furthermore, it is observed that this capacity monogamy relation for quantum batteries extends to general ‐qubit states and any ‐qubit state's battery capacity distribution can be optimized to achieve capacity gain through an appropriate global unitary evolution. Specifically, for general three‐qubit states, stronger distributive relations are derived for battery capacity. Quantum batteries are believed to hold significant potential for outperforming classical counterparts in the future. These findings contribute to the development and enhancement of quantum battery theory.

"Where There's a Will There's a Way": The Impact of State Variations in the Implementation of Continuous Coverage on Access to Postpartum Care During the Pandemic Emergency.

To explore how the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement and unwinding process was implemented in three states with diverse existing policy environments and implications for the implementation of post-emergency 12-month postpartum extensions. State data on unwinding performance and qualitative in-depth interviews with 48 stakeholders and patient-facing healthcare workers in Texas, New York and New Jersey. State Medicaid stakeholders and patient-facing healthcare workers in each state were interviewed with the goal of gaining insights into: (1) How the continuous coverage requirement was implemented; (2) What effects continuous coverage had on access to care for postpartum mothers; (3) How states are implementing the pandemic unwinding and postpartum extensions. Interviews were recorded and took place over Zoom between September 2022 and March 2024. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically using an open coding approach. The study found that low awareness of the continuous coverage requirement blunted potential benefits: little changed in practice in recommended patient care or follow-up procedures. Differences in state unwinding approaches reflected differential state capacity to minimize procedural disenrollment and political incentives to either rapidly reduce or maintain Medicaid rolls. Based on these findings, we describe how political will, state capacity and policy legacies interact to either increase or decrease administrative burdens associated with program enrollment/re-enrollment. While the continuous coverage requirement in theory applies equally across US states, its implementation was inconsistent and influenced by state capacity and political objectives creating differential experiences across states. To ensure that postpartum Medicaid coverage extensions have maximal impact on improving maternal health, states should develop improved communication strategies to ensure that providers and community-based organizations are aware of coverage changes and leverage available flexibilities to increase use of administrative renewal and ensure smooth coverage transitions.

Modeling creep for a closed cylindrical shell under hydrostatic pressure

Objective. The paper presents general equations of the moment theory of a shell of zero Gaussian curvature taking into account creep deformation. The problem of the stress-strain state of a shell is considered, with the boundary conditions: rigidly fixed at the base and free edge at the top. The cylinder is subject to internal hydrostatic pressure. Method. A linear non-homogeneous differential equation of the fourth order with respect to deflection is obtained. The solution is given in the MATLAB software package. The non-linear MaxwellGurevich equation is used as the equation of state between creep deformations and stresses. To determine creep deformations, a linear approximation of the first derivative with respect to time (Euler's method) was used. Result. The calculation of the shell made of secondary PVC was performed using the grid method. The method was tested. A program for calculation in the MATLAB package was developed with the possibility of varying the initial data and outputting a graph of the dependence of stress displacements on time. During creep in the shell, circumferential stresses increase by 14.7%. Conclusion. The proposed approach can be applied to the analysis of the stress-strain state and bearing capacity of a reinforced concrete shell as well. There are no restrictions on boundary conditions and the type of loading, and the beam material can be not only polymers and composites for construction purposes, but also concrete.

Property Righting: The Politics of Rights Over Land and Labor

This essay focuses on property rights in land and labor, the ways in which they have been entangled since the development of early capitalism in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the extent to which they have realized—or failed to realize—desiderata in addition to economic productivity and growth. The definition and enforcement of property rights may reflect the power relations within a society, but their realization depends on state laws and capacities. Transformations of property rights tend to follow changes in the balance of power among elites and in state capacity or occur as a response to effective resistance by those who are harmed or excluded.

State Capacity and Growth Regimes

State Capacity and Growth Regimes

Modeling urban pollutant wash-off processes with ecological memory.

Urbanization increases the extent of impervious surfaces, runoff, sediment, and nutrient loadings downstream, leading to the deterioration of urban surface waters. During pollutant wash-off from urban surfaces, the peak concentration of pollutants typically occurs after the rainfall peak. However, current urban wash-off models do not consider this time delay, assuming that the effect of rainfall on the wash-off process is immediate. Ecological memory (EM) is defined as the capacity of past states or experiences to influence the present or future ecological responses of a community ecosystem. In this study, ecological memory was calculated to reflect the lagging impact of rainfall on the wash-off process. Incorporating ecological memory into the original wash-off model improved its performance across all pollutant types and rainfall conditions, with the adjusted R-squared value increasing from -0.01-0.61 to -0.08-0.83. Among the factors impacting ecological memory, rainfall intensity significantly affected the distributions of ecological memory (p<0.05 according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). The first flush phenomenon, which involves a larger concentration or mass of pollutants in the initial portion of a storm event compared to the rest, showed no significant difference in the distributions of ecological memory between rain events with and without this phenomenon. The improved urban wash-off model can be applied for real-time simulation of urban pollutants and help develop site-specific measures for reducing urban nonpoint source pollution.

The Electoral Support for Law and Order Candidates: Violence and Local State Capacities

The Electoral Support for Law and Order Candidates: Violence and Local State Capacities

The law of thaw: understanding subnational land use policies for permafrost-agroecosystems

Abstract As the Arctic warms and growing seasons start to lengthen, governments and producers are speculating about northern “climate-driven agricultural frontiers” as a potential solution to food insecurity. One of the central ecological factors in northern spaces, however, is permafrost (perennial frozen ground), which can drive cascading environmental changes upon thaw. Considering the land requirements for expanded agriculture and the unique challenges of northern farming, national and subnational governments are grappling with and facilitating this speculative boom in different ways. Analysing agricultural land use policy instruments from the US State of Alaska and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Russia, this paper investigates if and how permafrost factors into their legal frameworks and what impacts this has on agricultural development, conservation, and food security. Alaska and the Republic of Sakha were chosen for reasons including both having at least 100 years of agricultural history on permafrost soils, both containing extensive amounts of permafrost within their landmasses and both containing permafrost that is ice-rich. Comparing legal texts as indicative of state capacities and strategies to govern, the paper finds that the two regions diverge in how they understand and regulate permafrost, and suggests that these approaches could benefit from one another. Bringing together geoclimatic and sociocultural concerns to problematise static policy divisions, this paper gestures to a path forward wherein subnational policy can balance needs for food, environmental, and cultural security in the North.

Limitation on the capacity of arbitrary bipartite pure entangled states for the unambiguous transmission of classical information

The capacity of quantum states to send information is a fundamental and intriguing issue in quantum communication theory. This study explores a scenario where Alice intends to transmit n bits of classical information to Bob by sending m qudits, using an arbitrary bipartite pure entangled state with E qudits as the shared resource. We employ the unambiguous discrimination strategy in decoding and establish an upper bound on the success probability, which extends the findings of a previous study (Li in Phys Rev A 85:052304, 2012).

The cheese, the worm, and the law: Grassroots legal cosmopolitanism in the Manchurian borderland, 1906–1927

Abstract This article tells the story of 36 Chinese peasants and their audacious campaign to defend their private rights on two tiny islands in Manchuria from the Japanese empire and a Chinese warlord regime. A borderland in Northeast Asia, Manchuria was a site of intense inter-imperial rivalry in the first half of the twentieth century. Using newly discovered local Chinese archival documents as well as sources produced by Japanese, Korean, and American actors, I discuss how the peasants leveraged their knowledge of multiple property regimes in the borderland to delay and deflect the demands of two states. This microhistory of a transnational dispute illustrates the workings of a form of convergent legal pluralism in the Northeast Asian borderland. While historians agree that state capacity grew substantially in the East Asian borderlands in the early twentieth century, the case shows how that growth also complicated the nature of the state and created new possibilities of bottom-up socio-legal action. It exemplifies the kind of legal cosmopolitanism grassroots actors practised in a world of justice dominated by not-so-cosmopolitan nation-states.

M/M/c/DWV Queueing Model with Bernoulli Schedule Working Vacation Interruption, Waiting Servers, and Impatience as a Model of a Call Center

A differentiated working vacation queueing system is described in this article, with waiting servers, balking and reneging of customers. Bernoulli schedule working vacation interruption is considered. In working vacation period, a customer is serviced at a slower rate. The matrix geometric method is employed to find the system capacity of different states of the servers. Diverse system performances as well as cost-revenue-profit analysis are numerically carried out. The motivation for the present research study is presented in a call center.

‘Neo-collectivisation’ through property rights reforms: Villager empowerment and state building in urbanising China

Over the past two decades, property rights reforms in China’s peri-urban regions have succeeded in granting villagers individual rights to their collective assets. It has been argued that these reforms will lead to the demise of China’s long-established rural collective system. However, based on in-depth research and case studies in southern China, we conclude that these reform initiatives have been upheld by the state and villagers to sustain and improve, rather than destroy, rural collectivism. The implementation of formal titling through shareholding reforms has not engendered full privatisation and the dissolution of collective entities; instead, it has given rise to an alternative form of rural collectivity that has reshaped the power dynamics between the state and the villagers in daily governance. While this ‘neo-collectivist’ approach appears to have empowered villagers by enhancing their rights to collective assets and benefits, it has also strengthened the governing capacity of the socialist state by extending and legitimising its interventions in Chinese rural communities.

Formation of the state capacity of Latin American countries. Testing the theory of Charles Tilly

The article is devoted to the reasons for the relatively low state solvency of Latin American countries. Much attention is paid to the existing explanations of «bad governance» in the region. The purpose of the article is to test the theory of Charles Tilly on the contribution of interstate conflicts to the formation of effective political institutions. It is shown that there is a limited number of wars between Latin American countries, which refutes the Tilly concept. The author argues that underdevelopment is associated with the presence of political crises and civil wars.

Erosion of the Bureaucratic Capacities of the Entrepreneurial State in Argentina: The Case of entel in the Democratic Transition (1983-1989)

El propósito fundamental de este trabajo es aportar a la comprensión del complejo proceso de crisis y erosión del Estado empresario en Argentina durante el periodo de la transición democrática, a través del análisis de la antigua Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (entel). En ese sentido, nuestro interrogante general refiriere a cómo fue posible la desarticulación del extenso consenso en torno a las empresas públicas, aún imperante hacia mediados de la década de los años ochenta, y el ascenso vertiginoso del programa privatista a finales del gobierno de Raúl Alfonsín. Para ello, a través del análisis de información institucional y prensa gráfica, se analizan las características y evolución de las capacidades políticas y burocráticas de entel, y su aptitud para formular e implementar objetivos estatalmente definidos. Mientras la mayoría de los análisis existentes ofrecen una mirada agregada del proceso, esta investigación se centra en una empresa en particular y su dinámica interna en esos años intensos

Managerial Reform and Privatization of Public Policies: An Analysis of Social Health Organizations in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

This article analyzes managerial reform and the privatization of public policies, focusing on the role of Social Health Organizations (SHOs) in the State of São Paulo within the context of the neoliberal agenda that intensified in Brazil from the 1990s onward. The analysis is based on the macro context of the emergence of Social Organizations (SOs), particularly the SHOs in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, utilizing documentary sources, indicators, and specific literature. The results indicate that Social Organizations, by adopting business rationality derived from the managerial model, significantly hinder state oversight and social participation, promoting a dissociation between the planning and execution of public policies. The conclusions highlight the need to reassess the State's role in regulating these entities, emphasizing that managerial reform not only privatizes management but also reshapes the very nature of public policies, perpetuating neoliberal hegemony. The study suggests that to ensure the effectiveness of health policies, it is crucial to reestablish the State's capacity to act as a regulator and guarantor of the public interest, rather than merely facilitating business practices.

Relevance of state-building in the 2020s and the case of Africa

The study examines the relevance of state-building in the 2020s within the framework of International Relations (IR) theories, with a focus on the Liberal World Order (LWO). Rooted in liberal ideology, the theory of state-building asserts that adherence to universally accepted norms and regulations by sovereign states best achieves global security. We explore the concept of ‘offensive liberalism’, emphasising the proactive role of stable states in enforcing these norms in regions where state capacity is lacking. The paper revisits the literature on state-building and the international system, noting a decline in scholarly focus over the past fifteen years. However, contemporary conflicts such as the war in Ukraine have brought state-building back to the forefront of global political discourse. The study underscores the importance of state-building in maintaining the stability and security of the LWO and emphasises the need for comprehensive reconstruction efforts in war-torn regions. It argues for the continued relevance of state-building in maintaining the LWO, particularly in regions facing instability. It calls for flexible, context-aware strategies that prioritise local engagement and regional cooperation to address Africa’s unique socio-political landscape’s challenges and opportunities.