Abstract
The recent stress test of American governance raises questions of administrative capacity, a concept that runs the risk of oversimplification. Capacity has induced wide-ranging studies in organization, public administration, and political science. Synthesizing the ideas from the literature and anchoring them in the knowledge of American political development let us arrive at a definition that captures the complex challenges of modern administration. In this chapter's theoretical foray, the core dimensions of capacity and resilience as the goal of capacity building are identified and set against the backdrop of political change.
Capacity – noun: competency or fitness, the potential or suitability for holding, storing, or accommodating; mental or physical ability; duty, position, or role; the facility or power to produce, perform, or deploy.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.)
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Joaquin, M.E., Greitens, T.J. (2021). The Concept of Capacity . In: American Administrative Capacity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80564-7_3
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