How are resources allocated and spent? What are state or institutional budgets and expenditures? What are capital, material, or personnel expenses? How transparent is this?
What resources are available? How are resources generated? And from which segments of the population? What types of taxes are collected, and who avoids paying? What is the national debt or foreign aid?
Which populations benefit from resources? How have resources changed over time? How does resource generation and expenditure compare to other similar countries?
It is important here to also understand constraints of the state, including domestic or international limitations on resources. These policy or process limitations may have significant impacts, as well as the conduct of third parties such as international lending conditions, trade rules, donor restrictions on aid, or domestic corruption or mismanagement.