POL 252 SP 15 Modern State

1. POL 252-01
Spring 2015

3.  What is the State? Does it even exist?
 If it does exist, how can we define and
categorize it?
 How do different country cases illustrate the
State?

5. The State touches nearly
every aspect of one’s life.

8. Max Weber
“An institution that
claims a monopoly of
legitimate violence
over a particular
territory.”

10. NAZI GERMANY HUSSEIN’S IRAQ

13. RUSSIAVS.TUVALU SOUTH SUDAN

15.  Internal Sovereignty
 Ultimate source of authority within jurisdiction
 External Sovereignty
 Boundaries acknowledged by other states
and international system

17.  State-Society Relationship
 Types of Legitimacy
 Traditional
▪ Queen Elizabeth II
 Charismatic
▪ Fidel Castro
 Rational-Legal
▪ Barack Obama

19.  Hierarchy, Organization, and Accountability
 Formation of U.S. Government
 Branches
 Departments
 Impact for StateAuthorities

22.  “The Divine Idea as it
Exists on Earth”
 Argument focused on
will and morality
 Subscribers are
“idealists”
Friedrich Hegel

23. JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU POLICE POWER
 State regulation of
behavior
 Health, Safety, Welfare,
and Morals

28.  Not one defining view of the State
 Counter to essentialist and reductionist
theories of the State

30. Who are they?

31.  Linguistic Analysts
 Radicals
 Behavioralists

32.  Group of U.S. political scientists in 1960s
 Studying politics is akin to natural science
 Politics should NOT make value judgments
 What would be their main objection to
studying the State in the terms we just
discussed?

33. David Easton

37.  State as Partisan Actor
 State as Guardian
 State as Instrument

40. STATE CAPACITY
 Ability of state to wield
power in order to
accomplish its goals
STATEAUTONOMY
 Ability of state to wield
power independently of
the public of other actors

42.  Strong States
 Weak States
 Failed States
 Quasi-States

46. Germany
United
States
United
Kingdom
Japan

48. Brazil
Mexico
Russia
India
China

50. Iran
Nigeria