Chapter 2: States
1. Defining the State
What is the State?
Max Weber
A state is a “human community that successfully claims the monopoly of legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.”
Key concept: sovereignty
Ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and internal rivals
State Authority:
Government: the leadership or elite who run the state and make policies
Regime: fundamental rules and norms of politics that shape…
long-term goals regarding individual freedom and equality
where power should reside
the use of that power
State Authority: Regime
Norms and rules regarding individual freedom and collective equality, the center of power, and the use of that power
Categorized at the basic level as democratic or undemocratic
Institutionalized, but can be changed by dynamic social events such as a revolution
Types of Regimes:
Democratic:
Some examples:
Constitutional monarchies
Republics
Consociational democracies
Nondemocratic:
Some examples:
Personalistic dictatorships
Military rule
One party
State Authority: Government
The leadership or elite in charge of running the state
Weakly institutionalized
Limited by the existing regime
Often composed of elected officials, such as a president or prime minister, or unelected officials, such as a monarch
More Institutionalized Less Institutionalized
State Regime Government
Additional Terms:
Country
State, government, regime, and the people who live within that political system
States, countries, and nations can be different things
Narion (see chapter 2): a group of people bound together by a common set of political aspirations
States can exist without nations, and nations can exist without states
According to recent research:
Humans are inherently social and political
People and Politics evolved together
Political organizations and innovation evolve from intergroup resource conflicts
Why Did the Modern State Emerge in Europe?
Violence and anarchy → organizational evolution
Geographic location → exposure to new ideas
Religious conflict → sovereignty
Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)
Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
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The 1648 Treaty of Westphalia:
Main elements:
Kings recognize each other
Authority is bound by territory
Some consequences:
Kings get all revenues from their territory
Greater incentive to regulate and promote the economy
Begins to consolidate major European powers
In 1500, over 1000 independent political units existed in Europe
Now, there are roughly 30
Compare State Power
How Do Rulers Stay in Power?
They may use
Fear: punish dissent
Rewards: bribe supporters
Legitimacy: the public accepts the idea that institutions have the right to exist
Legitimate states are most stable, power based on concent
Traditional Legitimacy:
Built by habit and custom
Institutionalization level is strong
Examples:
British monarchy
Saudi royal family
Charismatic Legitimacy:
Built by force of ideas and the presence of a leader
Institutionalization level is weak
Examples:
Putin’s Russia
Nelson Mandela (post-apartheid South America)
Rational-Legal Legitimacy:
Built by rules and procedures, the offices create and enforce the rules
Institutionalization is strong
Examples:
U.S. President
Prime Minister
Power Dispersion: Centralization versus Decentralization
States have different distributions of power
Major differences
Unitary states: most political power exists at the national level, with limited local authority
Federalism: Significant state powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security, are devolved to regional or local bodies
Types of Federalism:
Symmetric federalism: All regions have the same powers
Example: United States
Asymmetric federalism: Different regions have different powers
Example: Canada
Quebec has powers over taxation and health care that other provinces lack
Devolution: It’s NOT Federalism:
Definition: transfer of power and funding from national to local governments
Goals:
More power closer to the people (and increase state legitimacy)
Resolve ethnic or religious conflicts
Key difference with federalism: less “permanent”
State Power: Strong and Weak States
Why does state strength matter?
Differences:
Strong states: states that are able to fulfill basic needs
Weak states: states unable to execute basic tasks
Failed states: states so weak that their very basic state structures break down
Comparing State Power:
Capacity:
Ability to use power to carry out basic tasks
Mobilization of resources
Autonomy:
Ability to use power independently of the public or international actors
Relates to sovereignty
Autonomy and Capacity:
High Capacity: High Autonomy:
Strong state:
The state is able to fulfill basic tasks
Minimum public intervention
Highly centralized power
Disadvantage: may undermine democracy
High Capacity, Low Autonomy:
The state is able to fulfill basic tasks
Public helps…..
Low Capacity, High Autonomy:
The state lacks the basic ability to fulfill tasks
State acts with minimum public control
Disadvantage: the state is ineffective
Slow development
Public unrest
Low Capacity, Low Autonomy:
Weak state
State lacks basic ability to fulfilltasks
The state is subject to direct public control and interference
Power is highly decentralized among state and nonstate actors
Disadvantage: risk for internal state failure
Studying states:
A state is a highly institutionalized political organization possessing sovereignty
Power in the state is shaped by regimes and governments
The modern state evolved in the highly competitive, anarchic system of Europe
States rely on different types of legitimacy to maintain stability
States differ in how power is dispersed between the national and regional governments
The strength