Aim of the session: Despite the central role states occupy in our lives and in the political science literature, there is remarkably little agreement on how powerful the state actually is and what the state should actually do. This session aims to explore different models of state-society relations, and to understand variations in types of state across time and political systems..
Discussion topics:
(a) What is, and what is not, the state? How can we model state-society rela tions? How can we assess or measure state ‘capacity’ in comparative analysis, to trace how it is changing? Does it make sense to distinguish between ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ states? (or ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ states?)?
(b) Is state power increasing or declining? Is it paradoxical that some political scientists argue for
‘bringing the state back in’ just when others are suggesting that globalization means state power is declining? Is there clear evidence of a general decline in state capacity and if so for what types of state, if any, is such a decline to be regretted?
Readings:
(a) State Capacity
· Almond, Gabriel (1988), ‘Return to the State’ American Political Science Review 82: 853-74.
· Dyson, Kenneth (1980), The State Tradition in Western Europe. Contrast with Laborde, Cécile
(2000) ‘The Concept of the State in British and French Political Thought’ Political Studies 48 (3):
540-57.
· Evans, Peter B et al eds (1985) Bringing the State Back In, esp Intro, Chs 2 & 4.
· Krasner, Stephen (1984), ‘Approaches to the State: Alternative Conceptions and Historical
Dynamics’ Comparative Politics 16: 223-46.
· *Levi, Margaret (1988), Of Rule and Revenue (Ch 2).
· Migdal, Joel (1988), Strong Societies and Weak States, Ch 1. (See p.4 for an enumeration of state capacities).
· *Nettl, J Peter (1968), ‘The State as a Conceptual Variable’ World Politics 20 (4) 559-592.
· North, Douglass (1981), Structure and Change in Economic History: 20-32. (Also compare with his more recent Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance).
· Nordlinger, Eric (1981), On the Autonomy of the Democratic State.
· *Weber, Max, The Protestant Ethic and the ‘Spirit’ of Capitalism and Other Writings. (Compare
with Karl Marx’s Das Kapital).
(b) State Power & State Failure
· Bates, Roger (2008), When Things Fall Apart.
· Berger, Suzanne (2000), ‘Globalization and Politics’ Annual Review of Politics Science 3: 43-62.
· Cerny, Philip (1997), ‘Paradoxes of the Competitive State: The Dynamics of Political
Globalization’ Government and Opposition 32 (2): 251-74.
· *Geertz, C ed (1969), Old Societies and New States.
· Held, David and Anthony McGrew eds (2000), The Global Transformations Reader, Ch 11.
(This is a good introduction to the globalization debate, especially the Intro and Chs 7 & 12).
· Herbst, Jeffrey (2000), States and Power in Africa, Intro.
· Majone, Giandomenico (1997), ‘From the Positive to the Regulatory State’ Jrnl Public Policy 17:
139-67.
· *Milward, Alan (1992), The European Rescue of the Nation-State.
· Strange, Susan (1996), The Retreat of the State: The Diffusion of Power in the World Economy.
· Weiss, Linda (1998), The Myth of the Powerless State.
· Woods, Ngaire ed. (2000), The Political Economy of Globalization, Chs 1 & 5..
