CM 3 : Modern Nation-State Cartes

What are the 6 components of the modern nation-state?

-Territoriality : A physical space with borders,

-people: A nation (or nations), but the question remains: who is the people?,

-monopoly of legitimate violence : Only the state can legitimately use force (the capacity to impose acts and norms),

-legitimacy (The authority of the state as perceived by the governed),

-sovereignty (Control + ultimate authority over a territory = the ability to impose acts and rules),

-international recognition (The state is recognized by other states (e.g. by the UN).

What is the role of law in the expansive concept of the state (19th-20th century)?

State institutions produce the laws and are bound by them. (=Les institutions de l'État élaborent les lois et sont tenues de les respecter.)

How does Caramani define law?

"A set of general enforceable commands and prohibitions."

What is the hierarchy of legal sources?

A centralized organization of law with the constitution at the top.

What distinctions does the expansive concept of state make between state and society?

State/religion and state/market.

What is the democratic public sphere?

The space where legitimacy is formed.

What is citizenship?

The progressive inclusion of all individuals of the people (=membres de la population) into a formally equal relationship to the state.

Why does citizenship make people feel more equal?

Everyone has the same obligations and the same entitlements vis-à-vis the state.

What does citizenship allow?

It is a way to enter the political process and mitigate inequalities.

What is central to the definition of a nation?

The belief in territorial control: a sense of purpose to control the territory members believe is theirs.

or members think "this land is ours". Culture is shared, but the key is the common goal of controlling the territory.

What do the members of a nation share?

Heritage, language, culture, often religion, and a sense of shared ancestry.

How does Anderson (1983) define a nation?

An "imagined and socially constructed political community", imagined as inherently limited, horizontal and sovereign.

What does "limited" mean in Anderson's definition?

Nations have finite, if elastic, boundaries, beyond which lie other nations.

What does "sovereign" mean in Anderson's definition?

The nation has the monopoly of political decision.

Why is a nation "imagined"?

You will never know all the members of your nation, but you feel part of the same group.

How does Deutsch (1969) define a nation?

"A group of people united by a common mistake about its ancestry and a common dislike of its neighbors."

Is a nation the same as a state or a country?

No. Nation ≠ state ≠ country. There are nations without a state.

What is Gellner's (1983) argument?

The modern state and the concept of nation are interrelated.

What are the possible relations between nation and state?

A nation can precede a state; a state can precede a nation; a state can contain several nations; a state can contain movements seeking new states; a nation can exist without a state.

What are the 3 phases of state development detailed in the course?

Consolidation of rule, rationalization of rule, expansion of rule

What is consolidation of rule?

Fewer political centres with greater territorial reach.

What is the role of military resources in consolidation?

Often decisive: "states make war and war makes states."

What is the "premium on size" in state formation?

Bigger states have more population, resources and taxes, so they are larger, more visible and more stable containers of state power.

What is rationalization of rule?

The organization of power through centralization and hierarchy.

What is centralization?

Rulers, first limited by privileged powers (nobles, towns, regional bodies, bishops), exercise power in an impersonal and formal way (raison d'état), creating bureaucracies.

What is hierarchy in bureaucratic organizations?

The lower level implements and informs, the higher level makes decisions.

What is professionalisation in state development?

The growing role of knowledge (especially law) in bureaucracies.

What are the 3 functions of rationalization of rule?

Differentiation and specialization (the administration is divided into specialized services), financing through taxation, and more regular and predictable rule (so civil society can be more autonomous).

What did states focus on at first, in the expansion of rule?

Securing themselves on the international scene and maintaining public order and the effectiveness of law.

What changed in the role of the state from the 2nd half of the 19th century?

States expanded their activities: not only ordaining and sanctioning (making rules and punishing), but also intervening and managing (organizing society). Explanations:

▪ Demands from the market economy (e.g. skilled labour-force)

▪ Bureaucracies have an inherent tendency to grow

▪ Dynamics of representative democracies (voters support through spending)

▪ Demand for redistribution

Models of the modern state (historical experiences);

What is the limited state?

A state focused on taxes, war and security (late Middle Ages).

What is the nation-building state?

A state focused on education, logistics and communication (17th-19th centuries).

What is the welfare state?

A state focused on social security (19th-20th centuries).

What is the interventionist state?

A state applying Keynesian economic policies (mid 20th century).

What is Keynesianism?

The idea that when the economy goes badly, the state should spend to boost it (invest, create jobs, support demand).

What is the regulatory state?

A state intervening indirectly through regulations and neo-liberal policies (late 20th century).

What is the difference between the interventionist and regulatory states?

Interventionist = the state actively steers the economy. Regulatory = the state sets rules for the market instead of acting itself (intervening indirectly).

What is the correct order of the 5 models of the modern state?

Limited → nation-building → welfare → interventionist → regulatory.

What model of state emerged from the parliamentary and industrial revolution in England?

The multi-national union state.

What model of state emerged from the American revolution?

The modern federal state.

What model of state emerged from the French revolution?

The modern unitary state.

What is a multi-national union state?

Several nations united in one state, with particularities.

What is a federal state?

Power is shared between the center and the regions, guaranteed by the constitution.

What is a unitary state?

Power is held by the center, which delegates.

Which authors defined the foundations of the modern state in 2008?

Sørensen (2008).

What are Sørensen's 4 foundations of the modern state?

National economy, national government, nation, sovereignty.

What is the national economy (Sørensen)?

The state removes local obstacles to trade and builds infrastructure (roads, railways...) that connects the whole country, so it becomes one single market.

What is the national government (Sørensen)?

A centralized system of democratic rules and strong political-administrative capacities within a precisely defined territory.

What is the nation (Sørensen)?

People who build a community of sentiment and a community of citizens.

What is sovereignty (Sørensen)?

No final political authority outside or above the state.

How does globalization affect the national economy?

National economies are increasingly interdependent.

How does globalization affect the national government?

Decentralization (power goes down to regions) and supranational devolution (power goes up to organizations above states, like the EU).

How does globalization affect the nation?

It reinforces identities above the nation (supra-national, e.g. European) and below it (sub-national, e.g. regional), but also resistant identities (people who push back against globalization).

How does globalization affect sovereignty?

States no longer decide alone: they are politically connected beyond the state and influence each other, together with international organizations and NGOs.

Is the nation-state eternal?

No. It is a historical object.

What are the conclusions of the course on the nation-state?

It is a historical object; it became the dominant form of polity but is implemented differently across time and space; it is not necessarily democratic; its foundations are challenged by globalization.

Is every nation-state democratic?

No. There is no guarantee that a nation-state is also a democratic state.