Threats to state capacity, or a government’s ability to effectively carry out its functions, are growing in the U.S. and can be measured by factors such as employee morale, turnover, and the delivery of public services. Since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, discussions around the effectiveness of U.S. state capacity have intensified. Donald P. Moynihan, professor of public policy, examines the politicization of the U.S. federal government and its impact on state capacity under the Trump administration in the Ford School’s State & Hill magazine.
