Crucial Role of State Capacity in Crisis Response [Audio]

Speaker(s): Professor Sir Tim Besley, Professor Adnan Khan, Professor Margaret Levi | How states respond to the policy challenges posed by COVID-19 depends on the state capacities in place. While some capacity can be built or adapted rapidly, much of that capacity is a reflection of historical patterns of economic and political development. This online public event will explore state capacities, how they are created and maintained and how they reflect state-society relations, exploring the role of civil society as well as government. The event will explore how state capacities underpin the effectiveness of government interventions in different countries in response to the COVID-19 crisis. It will also discuss what can be learned from this and the challenges that lied ahead drawing on insights from economics and political science. Tim Besley is School Professor of Economics of Political Science and Sir W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics in the Department of Economics at