Defining the State• Max Weber: (1864-1920), German sociologist,

an organization that has a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force over a given territory

• Sovereignty – ability to carry out actions independently of internal/external challengers

• State is thus institution that wields force to ensure order within and resists threats from without

• Provide protection & punish violators – rule of law

• Provide public goods & services• Ensure national defense• Provide and promote economic development

and political stability• Negotiate the (unspoken)social contract

What do States do?

States Make Policy

• Laws and regulations• Property rights• Health and labor protections• Social welfare

Unlike criminal rackets, states turn ideas into political practice and the state is valued for its own sake

The state creates standards through which public goals such as freedom and equality can be achieved

How well do states govern?• According to the World Bank, variables include:• Voice and accountability• Political stability• Government effectiveness• Regulatory quality• Rule of law• Control of corruption• If some of all of these variables are absent, a

state may fail.

Failed states• Loss of physical control of its territory; loss of

legitimate use of force w/in territory• Erosion of legitimate authority to make

collective decisions• Inability to provide reasonable public services• Failed states in 2010 include Somalia, Chad

and Sudan**

• **http://www.fundforpeace.org

Regime• Specific form of gov’t in a state at a given period

of time• Regime changes involve changes in

constitution, and changes in division of power among the diff. institutions

• Regimes can be considered democratic or authoritarian

Regimes as Institutions• Often institutionalized• Not easily changed• Dramatic events, revolutions or crises, removal

by war: “regime change” (Iraq)• Sometimes not institutionalized, leader operates

as she or he sees fit: “L’État, c’est moi” (Louis XIV—“I am the State”)

States and Regimes, Hardware and Software

• State is the computer hardware of politics – a constant that doesn’t change over time.

• Regimes as political “software,” (democratic/authoritarian) for the computer – generally a constant

• Each state is led by programmer (government) which can be changed relatively easy

What Is Government?• The leadership in charge of running the state• May be democratic or undemocratic• Weakly institutionalized—removed by public, by

force, by mortality…

Origins of States and Political Organizations

• Nomadic groups become sedentary—agriculture

• Creation of surplus, specialization• Creation of inequality• Growth in population• Need to resolve dilemmas of freedom and

equality—had not existed before

Emergence of Political Organization

• Make and enforce rules• Mechanism to solve conflict• Set collective goals

Development of societies required political organization

Finding balance between freedom and equality led to questions of who should have power and how they should wield it

Pre-state Societies• Some scholars claim that the rise of the

organized state led to increased violence• New research shows that in pre-state human

groups, constant warfare and violence was endemic

• States reduce warfare, increase protection, decrease violence, and gain legitimacy

The Advantages of States• Encouraged economic development as way to

gain revenue, fight rivals• Encouraged technological innovation or

application for same reason—gunpowder, cartography

• Homogenization of peoples within territories—common language, customs, identity (a nation)

Comparing State Power

How do we compare and evaluate states?• Forms of legitimacy• Relative centralization of power

Legitimacy

• Confers authority and power• Legitimate behavior is seen as “right thing to

do” from a sense of reciprocal responsibility• Consensus over coercion• Max Weber’s forms of legitimacy include

traditional, charismatic and rational-legal.

Defined as a value where someone or something is recognized or accepted as right and proper

Traditional Legitimacy• Valid because “it has always been done

this way”• Accepted over a long period of time• Historical myths and legends• Continuity between past and present• Example: monarchy• Highly institutionalized

Charismatic Legitimacy• Opposite of traditional• Charisma as the force of ideas• Embodied in a single individual• Example: Hitler, Martin Luther King• Weakly institutionalized

Rational-Legal Legitimacy• Based on laws, procedures• Rules are key—how did someone come into

power?• Example: George Bush, though some might

contest this! Bumper sticker: “He’s not my president”—questioning election process

• Strongly institutionalized

Centralization/Decentralization

• Federalism/unitary

How much power does a state have, and where does that power reside?

Federalism versus Unitary States• Federalism: significant powers devolved to the

local level by constitution, not easily taken away• Examples of powers: taxes, education, security

(local police, militia)• Examples of federal states: United States,

Germany, Russia, Canada, Mexico

Unitary States• Power resides with central government• Can devolve powers to local level, but also take

them away if it chooses• Examples of unitary states: Britain, Japan,

France, Sweden