Politics - States

Lecture 3

What does Thomas Hobbes believe about whether humans are good or bad?

He believes that people are inherently bad, that if they are left to themselves in unregulated ways, they will destroy everything. Therefore, governments are necessary.

What does Jean-Jacques Rousseau believe about whether humans are good or bad?

He believes that people are inherently good, that if they are left to themselves in unregulated ways they will create peaceful communities. He believes that governments are more destrictive than necessary.

What did Mencius believe in regards to what a ruler should do?

He believes that a true ruler should rule justly, and therefore the state will thrive. And that if the state is not thriving, the ruler is not just and does not have the right to rule. People will then have the right to overthrow the ruler.

What does State Confucianism entail?

Hierarchy and obedience to authority.

State definition:

The organization (set of institutions) that maintains a monopoly of force over a territory. They establish order and deters challenges from inside and out. They are the institutions that society deems necessary to achieve basic goals such as security.

Can states that are institutionalized be easily changed?

No, they are not easy to change.

Sovereignty definition:

The ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and internal rivals. The State needs to be able to act as the primary authority over its territory and its citizens.

Democratic sovereignty:

When countries come together and decide to give up a bit of their sovereignty (for example, the EU).

Regime definition:

The fundamental rules and norms of politics. It is institutionalized but can be changed.

What does the term regime embody?

• The long-term goals that guide the state regarding individual freedom and collective equality.

• Where power should reside

• Use of power.

Where is a regime normally represented in?

In a constitution.

What does a nondemocratic regime do?

It limits public participation and favours those in power.

What are the types of nondemocratic regimes?

• Personalistic dictatorship

• Military rule

• One-party rule

What are democratic regimes?

The rules and norms of politics that give the public a large role in government, and individual rights and liberties.

What are the types of democratic regimes?

• Constitutional

• Republics

• Constitutional democracies.

Define the term government, and its characteristics.

It is the leadership that runs the state. They are either democratically elected or by force, weakly institutionalized and limited by the existing regime.

How would the term country be defined?

The political system that combines the entities of state, regime and government, as well as the people who live within that system.

What is the difference between regimes, states and governments?

Regimes and states may live on for decades or centuries, while governments come and go.

Explain the origins of political organizations.

• At first they were organized by families and tribes.

• Agriculture, animal domestication and sedentary communities arose in the Middle East 10,000 years ago, and this allowed for more complex political systems.

• This led to conlficts about who gets what, who has the right for what, etc. → states emerged out of a history of violence.

Name one of the largest complex societies in the world (hint: latam).

Norte Chico civilization in Peru. They were not nomadic, therefore they differ from other civilizations.

In the early political systems, what was economic relations based on?

Mostly based on agricultural production, more that specialized goods and trade.

What changed when humans started to live sedentary lives?

There were conflicts between the individual and collective about how to reconcile freedom and collective equality.

• Who gets what, who has the right to do what?

• How should these decisions be made and enfornced, and where should power reside and to what end?

What are the two paths of political organization? Explain both, and mention to what they lead.

Consensus: when individuals band together to protect themselves and create common rules. The leadership is chosen from among the people, and security is achieved through cooperation. This leads to democratic rule.

Coercion: when individuals are brought together by a ruler who imposes authority and monopolizes power. Security is achieved through domination. This leads to authoritarian rule.

What are the main elements of the Peace of Westphalia (1648)?

• Kings recognize each other.

• Authority is bound by territory.

• Wesphalian sovereignty.

What are the consequences of the Peace of Westphalia?

• Kings get all revenues from their territory → greater incentive to regulate and promote the economy.

• Begins to consolidate major European powers.

  • Decrease feom over 1000 independent political units to 30.

• Beginning of permanent professional militaries.

What does social contract mean?

The legitimacy of authority of the state over the individual. It is the agreement between rulers and ruled, determining the rights and duries of each. It sometimes means giving up some freedoms to gain security and protection from the state.

Social contract according to Hobbes:

Cede individual rights to end “war of all against all” to gain security.

Social contract according to Rousseau:

Cede individual rights because of “general will”, or because of the collective interest.

Social contract according to Mencius:

Cede individual rights so that people can pursue virtue under a virtuous ruler.

Legitimacy definition:

A value whereby something or someone is recognized and accepted as righ and proper. (person or institution). It creates power based on consent, not coercion.

Can societies that are unfree and unequal be legitimate?

Yes they still can.

Traditional legitimacy definition.

Someone or something is valid because “it has always been that way.” They are viewd as part of the historical identity of the people themselves. It is very institutionalized.

Charismatic legitimacy definition.

Individuals who can move and persuade the public through ideas and the manner in which they present them. It is built on the force of ideas and presence of a leader.

How are the institutionalized levels of charismatic legitimacy?

They are weak because they typically are embodied by specific individuals, and they rarely outlive the individual that it was based on. For example, Putin’s russia, the Kim dynasty NK.

Rational-legal legitimacy definition.

Based on a system of laws and procedures that are presumed to be neutral or rational. The institutionalized level is strong because the individual leader is less important than the offices and rules they hold. People abide by the decisions of those in power because they are abiding by existing institutionalized rules. (British PM and US president).

Federalism.

Powers are devolved to regional bodies such as providences or states.

Assymetric federalism.

Power is divided unevenly between regional bodies. Some are given greater power over taxation or language rights than others.

Unitary states.

Political power is concentrated at the national level, and local authority is limited. The central gov is responsible for most areas of policy.

Devolution.

Tendency towards decentralization by building new layers of government, and/or transferring certain responsibilities to the local level. It is believed to increase state legitimacy.

Strong state.

Able to fulfill basic tasks: defend territory make and enforce rules and rights, collect taxes, manage the economy, etc.

Weak states.

Cannot execute the basic tasks properly.

Failed state.

When the structures of the state become so weak that they break down. This does not mean complete anarchy.

Capacity.

Ability of the state to wield power in order to carry out the basic tasks of providing security and reconciling freedom and equality.

What is needed for a state to have capacity?

This requires money, organization, legitimacy and effective leadership.

Autonomy.

Ability of the state to wield its pwoer independently of the public or international actors. It is closely related to the idea of sovereignty.

State with high capacity and high autonomy.

State is able to fulfill basic tasks with a minimum of public intervention. The power is highly centralized → strong state.

Danger of state with high capacity and high autonomy.

Too high a level of capacity and autonomy may prevent or undermine democracy.

State with high capacity and low autonomy.

State is able to fulfill basic tasks, but the public plays a direct role in determining policy and is able to limit state power and scope of activity.

Dangers of state with high capacity and low autonomy.

State may be unable to develop new policies or respond to new challenges owning to the power of organized opposition.

State with low capacity and high autonomy.

State is able to function with a minimum of public interference or direct control, but its capacity to fulfill basic tasks is limited.

Dangers of state with low capacity and high autonomy.

State is ineffectual, limiting development, and slow development may provoke public unrest.

State with low capacity and low autonomy.

State lacks the ability to fulfill basic tasks and is subject to direct public control and interference. Power is highly decentralized among state and nonstate actos → weak state.

Dangers of state with low capacity and low autonomy.

Too low a level of capacity and autonomy may lead to internal state failure.