Module_2_-_The_State__1_

Page 1: Introduction

Max Weber's Definition: A human community that successfully claims the monopoly of legitimate physical force within a given territory.
- Key Components:
  - Human Coercion: The capability of the state to use force.
  - Wielding Organizations: Institutions that exercise power.
  - Legitimacy: Acceptance of the state's authority by its people.
  - Territory: Defined geographical area controlled by the state.
  - Distinction: The state versus the government.
  - Tangibility and Intangibility: Physical presence of state institutions versus the abstract concepts of authority and power.

Key Components:
- Monarchs, Vassals, and Peasants: Social hierarchy under feudalism.
- Regionalism and Power Centres: Localized power dynamics.
- Noblemen/Vassals: Acted as local rulers under the king.
- Spatial and Temporal Considerations: Influence of geography and history on power distribution.
The King’s Law vs. Rule of Law: Emphasis on royal authority over universal legal principles.

Background: Result of the Thirty Years’ War and solidified by the Peace Treaties of Westphalia (1648).
Principles:
- Territorial Integrity: States are entitled to their defined territories.
- Political Sovereignty: Autonomous governance without external interference.
- Self-Determination: Right of peoples to determine their political status.
Critique: Idea of organized hypocrisy in international relations; predictability in state behavior.

Key Characteristics:
- Centralized Authority: Consolidation of power within the state.
- Institutions: Establishment of bureaucratic structures.
- War and Taxation: Interdependence of military conflict and state finance.
- Rise of the Gentry: Emergence of a new class impacting governance.
- Decline of Knights: Shift from feudal warrior class to state-supported military.
- Developing Social Contract: Philosophers Hobbes and Locke discussed state-society relationships.

Colonialism: Examining state behavior before and after Westphalia.
Concept of Terra Nullius: Justifying colonial claims over uninhabited lands.
Inquiry: Exploration of why the European state system manifested as it did.

Theoretical Explanations:
- Conflict Theories: Conflicts lead to state formation.
- Economic Theories: Economic necessity drives state development.
- Cultural Theories: Influence of culture on state's establishment.
- Diffusion Theories: Spread of state ideas through interaction.

Defining Features:
- Sovereignty: Ultimate authority within a territory.
- Bureaucracy: Administrative systems managing state functions.
- Impersonality: States act as entities rather than individuals.
Bringing the State Back In: Referencing work by Evans, Reuschmeyer, and Skocpol (1985) regarding the role of states in social studies.
- Traditional vs. Behavioral Approaches: Shifts in studying state dynamics.

Core Functions:
- Security: Protection of the state and its citizens.
- Policing: Maintenance of law and order.
- Taxation: Resource collection for state funding.
- Order: Ensuring stability within the state.
- Administration: Implementation of policies and governance.
- Legibility: Making societies understandable and manageable by the state.

Distinction Between High and Low-Capacity States:
- High-Capacity Examples: Canada, United Kingdom, Soviet Union during the Cold War.
- Low-Capacity Examples: Nigeria, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone.
Ebola Outbreak (2014-2017): Highlighted disparities in state capacity.
Execution and Relationship: The dynamic between state and government.
- Joel Migdal (1988): Concepts of "Strong Societies and Weak States."

Failed States: Definition and characteristics of states that may maintain a government but fail in function.
Concept of Black Hole: Areas where state authority is absent.
Literary References:
- James C. Scott: "Seeing Like A State" discussing state planning failures.
Causes of Dysfunction:
- Ambitious rational planning, bureaucratic centralization, and state's overpowering presence.
- Historical examples: Soviet Union’s “Virgin Lands Project” and Prussia’s monocropping forestry.

Profile: Canada as a high-capacity state.
Indigenous Rights: Control over water resources on First Nations reserves.
Critical Issues:
- Reasons for failure in obligations towards Indigenous peoples.
- Considerations of deliberate state neglect or colonial mindset.

James C. Scott's Concept: "The Art of Not Being Governed."
- Focus on the Zomia region and its state-resistant periphery.
Geographical Context: Areas not fully integrated into state systems.
State Repelling: The state's attempts to impose order and the resultant resistance.

Background:
- Population: 127 million.
- Characterized as a contested state influenced by colonialism and revolutions.
- Early governance by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) from 1919-2000 characterized by authoritarianism.

Context: Mexico as a major supplier of drugs to the US.
- Traffickers' earnings estimated between $19-35 billion USD annually.
Cartels: Emergence as alternative governing structures.

Major Cartels:
- Sinaloa, Gulf, Los Zetas, Juárez, Tijuana.
- Documentation of territorial influence over time.

Changes in Dynamics:
- Emergence of new players like Jalisco New Generation.
- Continuation and evolution of existing cartels.

Key Locations:
- Mapping major cartel territories and their interactions with states.
- Identification of organized crime groups and their subgroups across major cities and states.

Emergence of Community Defense Groups:
- Grupos de Autodefensa Comunitaria as reactions to lack of state control.
- Variants include Autodefensas, Policia Popular, and Policia Comunitaria effective in regions like Michoacán.

Boko Haram's Role: Positioning itself as a competitor for state authority.
- Examination of ideology, activities, and participant motivations.
State Control vs. Insurgency: Exploration of state capacity amidst challenges.

Understanding State Separation: Examining bureaucratic divisions within the state apparatus.
Co-opting State Functions: How various agents exploit state resources and bureaucracy for diverse outcomes.