Abstract
This book aims to explain state weakness in South Asia, and the broader puzzle of why states in different parts of the world differ so much from each-other. It will examine in detail the historical processes which led to South Asian states to become weak, the social forces that have kept them that way, and the mixed fates of the various attempts over the past 500 years to build strong states without the cooperation of broad sections of the elite. It argues that both factors stem from a single cause: decisions, made in periods of political and military stress, to substitute elite influence for institutional power. The formal and informal delegation of state power to local elites has become a self-reinforcing phenomenon, limiting the power of states to do both good and evil, and reducing both the autonomy and capacity of state institutions.