Chapter 3 POLI212 Summary

Chapter 3
Page 78 to 101
 State: the most important kind of political organization in modern politics, which, in its
ideal form, is characterized by centralized control of the use of force, bureaucratic
organization, and the provision of a number of public goods
 Max Weber: the state exerts a "monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within
a given theory
The state is a relation of men dominating men
 Modern state: a concept used to distinguish states in the modern world from earlier
forms of political centralization; it includes features such as extensive bureaucracy,
centralization of violence, and impersonality
 Rule of law: a system that imposes regularized rules in a polity, with key criteria
including equal rights, the regular enforcement of laws, and the relative independence
of the judiciary
Concepts
 State capacity: the ability of the state to achieve its objectives, especially the abilities to
control violence, effectively tax the population, and maintain well-functioning
institutions and the rule of law
 The state has a high capacity when:
à established a monopoly on the use of force
à properly functioning bureaucracy with low levels of corruption and irregularity
(maintaining infrastructure, coordinating the defense, managing public health…)
à rule of law is maintained, producing a predictable and manageable environment for
citizens
 A fragile state/failed state: is a state that cannot or does not perform its expected
functions, referred to by some scholars as a “failed state”
 State-society relationship: the state is part of society, and does not exist outside or
above society (in one among its many organizations) / they have autonomy from social
institutions yet are responsive to civil society
 Society: a space in society that is outside of the organization of the state in which
citizens come together and organize themselves, ie: religious groups, trade unions,
network of actors, NGOs, media,… composed of webs of friendships, professional
linkages, voluntary groups, and religious organizations (power distributed among these
networks)
 The state is partially autonomous (not subject to total control of other organizations)
à serves as a base to control these other organizations
 Civil society: a space in society outside of the organization of the state in which citizens
come together and organize themselves (labor unions, clubs, churches…)
à allows groups of citizens to analyze politics and make claims on the state
Characteristics of Modern States

 Bureaucracy: a form of organization that in its ideal form, has individuals operating and
working under established, specified, and complex rules (ideally impersonal and
transparent) – rules should be available for all to see – good to coordinate behavior in
pursuit of common projects
1. Hierarchy of authority: all bureaucratic organizations operate according to a hierarchy,
whereby the upper level administrations exercise more power and authority compared
to more junior level administrations. The power is distributed based on the rank of the
office holder. The lower offices is supervised by higher level ones. Communication is
carried out based on this structure.
2. Management by rules and regulations: the management of all bureaucratic organizations
is based upon written docs, rules, and regulations
3. Division of labor: different office holder carry out pre-determined differentiated tasks
based on their specialty and rank.. These tasks require expert training
4. Impersonality of the Office Holder: official positions are independent of personal
involvement of the office holders. Decisions are made based on pre-determined set of
rules and regulations and not personal preferences or emotions. The office can't be used
to generate personal gain to specific individuals
5. Selection and promotion of office holders based on merit criteria: all office holders are
selected based on their professional training, formal qualifications. The career paths and
advancements are made based on achievements or competency rather than personal
favor
6. Office Work requires full commitment of the officer: "when office is fully developed,
official activity demands the full working capacity of the official, irrespective of the
fact that its obligatory time in the bureau may be firmly delimited
 Impersonality: quality attributed by some scholars to modern states, which are

presumed to be less likely to be identified with the personalities of their leaders (not
closely identified with the personality of an individual)
à citizenship: form relationship between the state and individuals subject to its control
in which citizens have certain basic rights and are in some way represented in the state
 Sovereignty: the key way the authority of the modern state is conceptualized: states are
understood to be the ultimate authority within their specifically demarcated territories
à control over some territory
à source of legitimate authority
Functions of States
 (war-making) defense: military action for the protection
 (state making) order, administration, and legibility: gather information about their
territory and population
 (protection) policing: organizations to police societies internally (well institutionalized
rule of law and transparent judicial procedures)
 (extraction) taxation: funding activities crucial to state
 Economic management (money supply, trying to influence the business cycle)
 Human capital (public health, education)
 Welfare state (safety net, including insurance, often health care access
 Infrastructure (roads, ports, public utilities)
Causes and Effects: why did states emerge and expand?

 State system: condition that many of the most important actors in international relations
are states, which can be understood as systematically linked to one another
Political theories:
à Bellicist theory: associated with scholars like Tilly, who argued that interstate wars
were decisive in the creation of the modern state
7. Political administration must be at least centralized – feudalism had to go
8. Extraction of revenues from the underlying population had to be dramatically enhanced
(ameliorer) – administering modern state costs money, must tax much for it
9. The state must develop the ability to mobilize the population in collective endeavors
 Warfare useful in all three tasks
 Argues warfare forges strong states
Economic theories:
 Economic modernization as a fundamental cause of modern states – Karl Marx
supporter of this theory
 Marx: modern state represents the interests of the bourgeoisie (owners of capital)
Capitalists create the state as an organization so that they can maximize profits
and exploit labor
 Critics of econ theories: the state is a reflection of underlying interests rather than an
autonomous factor
Cultural theories:
 Changing beliefs and values
 State-building involves dramatic disciplining in the daily life of individuals
Rise of nationalism and national identity – increase the legitimacy of state if you
feel involved in it
Diffusion Theories (why did some theories spread in the dominant form of politics
everywhere):
 Diffusion: the process through which practice or idea spreads locally, nationally, and
globally
How?
1. Purely coincidental (more relatable to Bellicist)
2. Common underlying features present in all cases (the same process in state forming in
early modern EU) (more relatable to econ theory)
3. Spread of state via systemic qualities – an international system through which it
diffused globally (more relatable to cultural)
 Organization: institutionalized groups such as state, corporation party, or international

body
 Isomorphism: institutional theory, the quality that two or more organizations have by
virtue of being structured very similar
 World society theory: theory associated with scholars such as John Meyer who argue
that basic organizational features of the state system are cultural and have diffused
globally.
Chapter 3
Concepts:
Max Weber gives his own definition of modern state.
For him, the state alone can have the power to use physical force.
Modern states:
We use Modern States to compare states of the medieval period to nowadays.
State capacity:
The ability for a state to accomplish its goals.
When do we consider a state with high capacity?
 Functioning bureaucracy
 Monopoly on the use of force
 Rule of law is applied
However, state capacity changes.
Failed states:
A state fails when its capacity lowers to a certain point.
It is no longer able to provide for their citizens
The state society relationship:

The state is part of society.
States are not always in total control. There are other actors that intervene too.
A strong state is autonomous and responsive to their citizens.
Weak states are less autonomous and intervene regularly.
Characteristics of modern states:

 Bureaucracy
 Impersonality
 Claim of sovereignty
Functions of modern states:

 Defense
 Policing
 Taxation
 Oder, administration and legibility: through surveys, the state gets to know their
population
Why did states emerge?

 Political theories: bellicist theory of the state
 Economic theories: Karl Marx says that states emerge from economic modernization
 Cultural theories: changing in beliefs and values
 Diffusion theories: based on replication
When should a state emerge:

 Have a political administration
 Extraction of revenues
 Collective endeavors.

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Chapter 3

The state is a relation of men dominating men

Characteristics of Modern States

 Impersonality: quality attributed by some scholars to modern states, which are

Causes and Effects: why did states emerge and expand?

 Organization: institutionalized groups such as state, corporation party, or international

The state society relationship:

Characteristics of modern states:

Functions of modern states:

Why did states emerge?

When should a state emerge:

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