Research activity information

• Jul. 2025 神户大学, 前之園記念若手優秀論文賞


• Mar. 2025 Kobe university, summa cum laude

• Integrating Supply and Demand in Explaining Differences in Public Goods Provision

  Jiali Shen

  Abstract Existing studies on public goods provision often treat state-centered (supply-side) and society-centered (demand-side) explanations in isolation. This review argues that the interaction between state and society is a critical determinant of public service outcomes. It develops an analytical framework that integrates state capacity and social fragmentation, identifying four distinct types of state–society equilibrium. By linking theoretical insights with empirical patterns, the framework provides a conceptual tool for understanding why similar states or societies can produce divergent public goods outcomes. It also offers a roadmap for future research, encouraging systematic examination of how different configurations of state–society relations shape the provision, equity, and effectiveness of public goods across political and social contexts.

  Corresponding, Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Jun. 2026, Comparative Sociology, 25(3) (3), 303 - 322, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• State Capacity, Social Fragmentation, and Public Goods Provision: A Cross‐National Comparative Analysis

  Jiali Shen

  ABSTRACT This study investigates why state capacity does not always translate into improved public goods provision. I argue that the effect of state capacity depends critically on state–society interactions, which are shaped by regime type and, more decisively, by social fragmentation. While existing research often assumes a uniformly positive impact of capacity, this study shows otherwise. In democracies, institutionalized responsiveness ensures that higher capacity consistently enhances provision, regardless of fragmentation. In authoritarian states, however, outcomes hinge on the degree of social fragmentation: where fragmentation is high, strong states provide more goods to mitigate conflict and maintain legitimacy; where society is cohesive, high capacity may instead be diverted to elite projects, exclusionary distribution, or control. Using panel data on 177 countries (1960–2015), I demonstrate that state capacity's effect is conditional, not absolute. These findings highlight how social fragmentation, interacting with political regime, fundamentally shapes the governance returns of state capacity.

  Corresponding, Wiley, Jan. 2026, Governance, 39(1) (1), English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• The historical origins of unitary and federal systems: a comparative historical analysis

  Jiali Shen

  Corresponding, Informa UK Limited, Jan. 2026, International Review of Sociology, 1 - 22, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• When does state capacity Work? Social fragmentation and public goods provision in rural Japan

  Jiali Shen

  Corresponding, Elsevier BV, Jan. 2026, European Journal of Political Economy, 91, 102795 - 102795, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Local ruling elites and historical origin of modern state capacity: Evidence from rural Japan

  Jiali Shen

  Corresponding, Dec. 2025, International Journal of Comparative Sociology, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• State capacity, political competition and public goods provision: A cross-national comparative study

  Jiali Shen

  In the research on explaining public goods provision, political competition is usually linked with public goods provision and it is believed that political competition will have a positive or negative impact on public goods provision. However, others suggest that this relationship changes with the influence of other variables. This article which uses data analysis of 165 countries in 2013 to discuss the relationship between state capacity, political competition and public goods provision and its impact on public goods provision. The results show that public goods provision is good when there is only strong state capacity or a high level of political competition, or both. Then, the four cases of Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Laos are selected to illustrate the mechanism by which the interaction of state capacity and political competition affects public goods provision.

  Corresponding, SAGE Publications, Mar. 2023, Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 205789112311612 - 205789112311612

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal