Chapter 2 States

• The state is a series of institutions that maintains a monopoly of force over a territory.

• Sovereignty is the ability to carry out actions in a territory and to exercise power

• In comparative politics, the state is a series of institutions that maintains a monopoly of force over a territory. It relies on sovereignty and power.

What is a state? What is sovereignty? What is the relationship between the two?

• Power is the ability of individuals, groups, or institutions to influence or control the behavior of others, shape political outcomes, and determine the allocation of resources

What is power?

Is the rules and norms of politics; in some nondemocratic countries where politics is dominated by a single individual

What is a regime?

The leadership in charge running the state

What is a government?

• Something is institutionalized when it is generally seen as irreplaceable. 

• State= Most institutionalized

• Regime= Mid Institutionalized

• Governmnt= Least Institutionalized 

What does it mean to be institutionalized? How institutionalized are states, regimes, and governments? Why?

• The different paths to political organization depend on the country's history, culture, and level of social complexity

• Consensus: a voluntary approach, a  political organization arises through cooperation, mutual agreement, and shared values

• Coercion = Forced approach, Political organization develops through domination or control by a powerful individual or group

What are the different paths to political organization? What is the difference between the consensus versus the coercion approach?

• Europe's Dark Age fostered the emergence of the new state because organizations had to rapidly adapt over time. 

• The modern state emerged in Europe and not in China because China lacked major competitors to foster ongoing organizational evolution

Explain the rise of the modern state in Europe. How did war make the state?

• The idea that something or someone is recognized by the public as ight and proper- grants states the authority and power to act

• Traditional legitimacy- Built on history and continuity

• Charismatic Legitimacy- embodied in a powerful and inspiring individual

• Rational Legal Leitimacy- Built on a foundation of highly institutionalized laws

What is legitimacy? What are the different forms of legitimacy possessed by states/ leaders?

• States organize and distribute political power in different ways to manage authority between the national and regional levels

• The main systems are Unitary, Federal, and Confederal

• Devolution is the transfer of delegation of power from a central government to regional or local governments

How do states distribute power internally? What is devolution?

• is a political system in which power is constitutionally divided between a national (central) government and regional governments (such as states or provinces).

• Both levels of government have their own areas of authority and can act directly on citizens. This structure balances unity with regional autonomy.

• Examples: United States, Canada, Germany, India, Australia.

What is a federal state? Asymmetric federalism? Examples.

• A state in which most political power exists at the national level, with limited local authority

What is a unitary state?

• Stron states - A state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

• Weak states, A state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

What is the distinction between strong states and weak states?

• A state so weak that its political structures collapse, leading to anarchy and violence

What is a failed state?

• State capacity- The ability of the state to wield power to carry out basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

State autonomy- The ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public or international actors

What is state capacity? State autonomy?