State Capacity and State Power in Contemporary China

State capacity and state power are two related but different concepts; both have reattracted more and more attention in comparative politics and Chinese politics in recent years. Integrating new theoretical developments, this introductory article clarifies and refines these two concepts by linking them with the Weberian and Tocquevillian theories of state accordingly. The Weberian discussions lay the foundation of state capacity, specifically meaning utilizing state organizing ability and bureaucratic system to implement governmental functions. Viewed from the Tocquevillian perspective, state power refers to how a state's organizational configurations shape society and how a state's overall patterns of activities shape social actors' behavior and demands, therefore state capacity. Based on these theories, the five articles in this special issue are categorized into two groups: in the Weberian perspective group, two articles examine state capacities in different policy domains (policing and innovation), and one examines how campaigns interact with bureaucratic institutions to shape state capacities; in the Tocquevillian perspective group, the two articles examine state power, that is, how state configurations and patterns of activities shape social actors' political demands and participations. This introduction finally explores the paths to future studies of China's state capacity and power.