ABSTRACT
The comparative study of stateness in Latin America largely relies on indirect measures of state strength. Indirect measures infer state strength either from observed policy outcomes and/or from expert judgements on the capabilities of the states to perform functions such as ensuring the rule of law or implementing regulatory frameworks. For example, observers use homicide rates or infant mortality as indicators of the capacity of a state to impose order over a territory and to achieve socially valuable goods. They also use expert surveys to assess performance. Well-known comparative measures such the Bertelsmann Transformation Index, the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, and the World Economic Forum blend subjective and objective indirect measures of state capabilities (World Economic Forum 2011; Bertelsman Stiftung 2012; World Bank 2012).
