This book, through an analysis of case studies in Latin America and Southeast Asia, sets out to understand the form and function of contemporary states seeking to guide and cajole markets, hoping to stimulate economic growth and generate robust development outcomes. In the context of contemporary globalization, and the hegemony of a neoliberal mode of capital accumulation, independent state-directed development has moved away from the reach of many emerging markets. Wylde’s analysis reveals that, contrary to much of the literature espousing the ‘end of the state’, the role of the state in the 21st century development process continues to be of pivotal importance.