Because others (e.g., Kohli 2004) have developed propositions about
the importance of centralization, organizational cohesion, and growthconducive
state–class relations for developmental states, I focus here only
on explaining how ideological congruence contributes to a cohesive structure.
Ideological congruence is a broad term that indicates several kinds
of relationships through which ideological factors impact the structure of
a state. One such relationship involves the top political elites and the state
bureaucracy. Ideological congruence in this case means shared ideological
orientations between the two. A newly formed state in which a socialist
party rises to power and inherits an imperial bureaucracy and army is an
example of ideological incongruence: the radical ideology embraced by
state leaders contradicts the conservative character of their apparatus. In
contrast, a state in which a conservative government inherits a colonial
bureaucracy and army poses no threat to, and may even augment, its
ideological congruence.