sectorstate

Sectorstate is a theoretical construct in political science and public administration in which governance authority is organized primarily by function or sector rather than by geographic territory. In a sectorstate, regulatory, budgetary, and policy-making powers are allocated to sector-specific agencies covering areas such as energy, health, transportation, and environment. These agencies may operate with a degree of autonomy from traditional territorial divisions, coordinating through cross-sector councils or digital platforms.

Proponents argue that sector-based governance can improve policy coherence across dispersed populations, reduce duplication, and align regulation with technical expertise. Critics worry about fragmentation, accountability gaps, complexity of oversight, and challenges integrating sector policies with local needs.

The term is largely theoretical; some scholars connect it to debates about functional differentiation in modern states or to proposals for administrative reform. There are no widely recognized examples of full sectorstate as a prevailing model; some real-world administrations exhibit sectoral specialization within a federal framework or centralized agencies with sector-wide mandates.

See also: functional differentiation, sectoral governance, administrative decentralization, federalism.