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1. WHAT IS A STATE?
ifferentiating Terms
• State
• Max Weber defines it as the organization that maintains a
monopoly of violence over a territory
• Must have sovereignty – the ability to carry out actions
or policies within a territory independently from
external actors or internal riots
• Sovereignty requires power, physical and
otherwise, to defend against these other actors
• Institutions are what we call actors which carry
out the state’s responsibilities (i.e., executive
branch, bureaucracy, military, courts, etc.)

2. WHAT IS A STATE?
ifferentiating Terms
• Nation
• People group that is bound together through shared political
aspirations (i.e., self government)
• Regime
• fundamental rules and norms of politics
• Can change gradually or through rapid trauma or revolution
• Government
• The leadership presently entrusted with running the state
• Can change through elections, or transitions of power

3. COMPARING STATE POWER
trong States
eak States
ailed States
• These are simplistic ways to express the power of a state

4. COMPARING STATE POWER
apacity – the ability of a state to wield power in order to carry out the
basic tasks of providing security and reconciling freedom and equality
• High Capacity – well organized, legitimate, able to enforce its
own laws
utonomy – the ability of a state to wield its power independent of public
approval
• High Autonomy – state acts on behalf of the public with no
regard to public opinion
• Low Autonomy – state acts at the behest of private individuals
and groups

5. CENTRALIZATION VS.
DECENTRALIZATION• Unitary – one national government,
local/regional units have little or no say in
policy
• Examples : Great
Britain, China, Iran

6. DIFFERENT FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
• Federal – local units share power with the
central national government
• Examples : U.S.,
Mexico, Nigeria,
*Russia*

7. DIFFERENT FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
• Confederal – smaller regional governments
hold the most power, united by a weak
central government
• Examples : European
Union, other IGOs

8. THANKYOU