Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 July 2015
This paper expands traditional predatory theory approaches to state fiscal capacity by adopting spatial analytical reasoning and methods. Although previous work in the predatory theory tradition has often incorporated interdependent external influences, such as war and trade, it has often done so in a way that maintains a theoretical and empirical autonomy of the state. Theoretically, we suggest four mechanisms (coercion, competition, learning, and emulation) that operate to channel information through interstate rivalry and territorial contiguity, trade networks, and the political space associated with regime type and intergovernmental organization membership. We test our predictions using a multi-parametric spatio-temporal autoregressive model with four spatial lags capturing the four mechanisms. Our empirical results provide support for the coercion and learning mechanisms.
Cameron G. Thies, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, Arizona (cameron.thies@asu.edu). Olga Chyzh, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Statistics, 555 Ross Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1204. Mark David Nieman, Assistant Professor of Political Science, 537 Ross Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1204.