State
Chapter 11
(Rajeev Bhargava| Political Theory)
POLITICAL SCIENCE
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State
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Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- WHAT IS THE STATE?
- THE MODERN STATE
- WHAT THE STATE IS NOT: CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE NATION
- JUSTIFYING THE STATE
- HUMAN NATURE
- THE STATE OF NATURE AND THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
- UTILITARIANISM
- THE NEUTRAL STATE: LIBERALISM
- THE CLASS STATE: MARXISM
- THE PATRIARCHAL STATE: FEMINISM
- GOVERNMENTALITY: FOUCAULT ON THE STATE
- RECENT DEBATES: CHALLENGES TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE STATE
- Globalization
- The Imported State and its Consequences
INTRODUCTION
- The ubiquity and power of the state shape the conditions of our lives.
- Our interaction with the state begins before we even become aware of it.
- Examples of routine encounters with the state include birth registration, travel on roads, police, board exams, certificates, voter identity cards, and passports.
- These examples highlight the pervasiveness of the modern state in daily life.
- The state compels us to do certain things and to refrain from others.
- It aims to provide basic protection against attacks on ourselves and our possessions.
- The state restrains and regiments individuals in various ways.
- The state offers a wide range of benefits, such as health care, education, roads, telephone services, parks, and movies.
- Christopher Morris, referring to the omnipresence of the state, adapts Leon Trotsky's quip about war: "You may not be interested in the state, but the state is certainly interested in you."
WHAT IS THE STATE?
- Most people are members of a state and live within its borders.
- Statehood today refers to not only a set of institutions but also a body of attitudes, practices, and codes of behavior.
- These codes of behavior include obedience to state laws, compulsory voting, military training, and conscription.
- Some political thinkers consider the state as the most important concern in modern political theory.
- Concepts like rights, democracy, equality, and liberty are based on the relationship between the state and its citizens.
- It is important to understand the idea and functions of the state.
- Discussions about the state refer to the functioning of state institutions and what the state is obliged to do.
- The state is often assumed to refer to the government, but they are not the same.
- Max Weber, a German sociologist, argued that the one common element of all modern states is the monopoly over the legitimate use of force within a common territory.
- Weber highlights three key elements: territoriality, monopoly of physical violence, and legitimacy.
- Legitimacy is derived from the Latin verb "legitimare," meaning to legitimate, and signifies rightfulness in a broad sense.
- Legitimacy transforms power into authority, allowing the state to ensure that its laws are obeyed and to punish those who disobey.
- Authority is concerned with the state's power over its citizens, as opposed to a robber who has power but no authority.
- The right to rule and political obligation are central to understanding the state's authority.
- Political obligation refers to the duty to obey the laws of the state.
- We often accept state laws as binding due to the benefits the state provides, or on the grounds of consent through a social contract.
- The Montevideo Convention of 1933 defined the state legally, stating that states must have a permanent population, defined territory, and a government capable of maintaining effective control and conducting international relations.
- Recognition by other states is crucial for acceptance into the international community, though international law does not require settled boundaries.
- The state is organizationally differentiated and centralized, comprising a set of connected and cohesive institutions.
- The modern state has three arms: the judiciary, executive, and legislature, each with authority that is part of the state's overall structure.
- The government refers to the administrative organ of the state, constrained by the constitution.
- Governments may change, but the state persists. For example, U.S. governments are referred to as administrations(e.g., the Clinton administration, the Reagan administration).