State capacity and United Nations peacekeeping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical insights

State capacity, as a key concept in the security and development nexus, has garnered increasing attention in political science over the past decades. This study examines the impact of specific variables on state capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2015, a region characterized by weak state capacity and high conflict rates globally, and which hosts the largest number of peacekeeping operations worldwide. Over time, United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations have evolved from traditional mandates focused on ceasefire maintenance to broader, multidimensional tasks that encompass peacebuilding and support for state capacity, particularly within the region. This study utilizes panel data analysis and a sample of nine countries to assess state capacity through variables such as GDP per capita, natural resource rents, regulatory quality, armed forces personnel, and UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs). Panel data regression analysis across nine Sub-Saharan African countries reveals different influences of the variables on state capacity. The results of the study reveal a negative impact of PKOs, natural resource rents, and armed forces personnel on state capacity, while GDP and regulatory quality demonstrate positive contributions. The results suggest that PKOs cannot effectively enhance state capacity without the presence of realistic mandates and local ownership.