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The '''capitalist state ''' is the [[state (polity)|state]], its functions and the form of organization it takes within [[Capitalist mode of production (Marxist theory)|capitalist socioeconomic systems]].<ref name="Recent theories of the capitalist State, 1977">Jessop, Bob (January 1977). "Recent Theories of the Capitalist State". ''Soviet Studies''. 1: 4. pp. 353–373.</ref> This concept is often used interchangeably with the concept of the modern state, though despite their common functions there are many recognized differences in sociological characteristics among capitalist states.<ref name="Morishima 1976, 1">Morishima, Michio (1976). [https://books.google.com/books?id=aC45AAAAIAAJ ''The Economic Theory of Modern Society'']. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 1. {{ISBN|0-521-21088-7}}.</ref>
The primary functions of the capitalist state are to provide a legal framework and infrastructural framework conducive to [[business]] enterprise and the [[accumulation of capital]]. Different normative theories exist on the necessary and appropriate function of the state in a [[capitalist economy]], with proponents of ''[[laissez-faire]]'' favoring a state limited to the provision of [[Public good (economics)|public good]]s and safeguarding private property rights while proponents of [[Economic interventionism|interventionism]] stress the importance of regulation, intervention and macroeconomic stabilization for providing a favorable environment for the accumulation of capital and business.<ref>{{cite book|title=Comparative Economic Transformations: Mainland China, Hungary, the Soviet Union, and Taiwan|author=Yu-Shan Wu|year=1995|publisher=Stanford University Press|pages=8|quote=In laissez-faire capitalism, the state restricts itself to providing public goods and services that the economy cannot generate by itself and to safeguarding private ownership and the smooth operation of the self-regulating market.}}</ref>
For [[Karl Marx]], the capitalist state is understood to be a reflection of the economic base of capitalist society, with its chief function reflecting the needs of the capitalist economy. This involves creating the legal and infrastructural framework (the superstructure) that facilitates capitalism, as well as balancing the needs of the various classes to ensure the perpetuation of capitalism. This involves attempts to safeguard state policy from being used to benefit specific capitalists or firms at the expense of the bourgeoisie as a whole. Hence, Marx described the function of the executive of a capitalist state as "nothing but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie". Specifically, in Marx's view the capitalist state necessarily exists to serve the interests of capitalists (referred to as the [[bourgeoisie]]), not as a defect, but as a necessary feature of capitalism.
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