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Review | Emerging Perspective in Social and Politics | Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 2026 | 85−104 | https://doi.org/10.53623/epsp.v1i2.1249
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Governance in Emerging States: Theoretical Foundations, Empirical Patterns, and Reform Dynamics

Author(s): Priya Nair 1 , Arjun Mehta 2 , Deepa Krishnaswamy 3
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1 Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
2 Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi 110021, India
3 University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India

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Emerging Perspective in Social and Politics

Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 2026

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Governance quality has emerged as a critical determinant of development outcomes in emerging states. However, scholarly understanding of governance dynamics in these contexts remains fragmented across disciplinary boundaries and region specific research traditions. This systematic review synthesises theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence from peer reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024, drawing on 40 key studies spanning political science, public administration, and development economics. Five analytical dimensions of governance are identified: political stability, administrative capacity, accountability mechanisms, economic governance, and social governance. The review critically examines how these dimensions have been conceptualised, operationalised, and assessed across different institutional and regional contexts. The findings reveal substantial variation in governance trajectories and identify five major drivers of reform: external pressure, domestic demand, elite bargaining, regional diffusion, and crisis induced institutional change. Comparative evidence indicates modest improvements in governance across East Asia and Latin America, whereas South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa continue to experience persistent institutional and structural constraints. Importantly, the synthesis identifies several unresolved research gaps, particularly the limited consideration of subnational variation, informal institutions, and gender dimensions in governance research. These limitations constrain the ability of aggregate national indicators to capture institutional diversity and uneven governance performance within countries. The review therefore proposes a future research agenda centred on multilevel analytical approaches, greater integration of formal and informal institutional processes, and context sensitive measures capable of capturing governance heterogeneity within emerging states.

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SUBMITTED: 11 June 2026
ACCEPTED: 09 October 2026
PUBLISHED: 21 October 2026
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 121 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/epsp.v1i2.1249

Cite this article
Nair, P. ., Mehta, A. ., & Krishnaswamy, D. . (2026). Governance in Emerging States: Theoretical Foundations, Empirical Patterns, and Reform Dynamics . Emerging Perspective in Social and Politics, 1(2), 85−104. https://doi.org/10.53623/epsp.v1i2.1249
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