Exogenous Factors and Spillovers: The Role of the State

Abstract

One of the most intriguing questions in studies of participation is whether the state can play a supportive role in stimulating civicness. Ideally, civic participation should remain mostly autonomous from state actions. The risks of too much state interference on civic groups are well known, ranging from stifling self-sufficiency to undermining political pluralism (see Jeong and Oh 2010). But in very poor communities, where levels of human and other forms of capital are very low, it might be naïve to expect participation to emerge without state support.