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This overview explores Max Weber's definition of the state as an organization with a monopoly on legitimate physical force. It discusses sovereignty, state functions such as protection and economic development, and the role of governance in maintaining order. The analysis contrasts states and regimes, delves into sources of legitimacy, and examines the consequences of state failure. Key elements include the evolution of political organization, the balance between freedom and equality, the advantages of states in reducing violence, and the varying forms of legitimacy that underpin political authority.
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Defining the State • Max Weber: (1864-1920), German sociologist, an organization that has a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force over a given territory • Sovereignty – ability to carry out actions independently of internal/external challengers • State is thus institution that wields force to ensure order within and resists threats from without
What do States do? • Provide protection & punish violators – rule of law • Provide public goods & services • Ensure national defense • Provide and promote economic development and political stability • Negotiate the (unspoken)social contract
States Make Policy Unlike criminal rackets, states turn ideas into political practice and the state is valued for its own sake • Laws and regulations • Property rights • Health and labor protections • Social welfare The state creates standards through which public goals such as freedom and equality can be achieved
How well do states govern? • According to the World Bank, variables include: • Voice and accountability • Political stability • Government effectiveness • Regulatory quality • Rule of law • Control of corruption • If some of all of these variables are absent, a state may fail.
Failed states • Loss of physical control of its territory; loss of legitimate use of force w/in territory • Erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions • Inability to provide reasonable public services • Failed states in 2010 include Somalia, Chad and Sudan** • **http://www.fundforpeace.org
Regime • Specific form of gov’t in a state at a given period of time • Regime changes involve changes in constitution, and changes in division of power among the diff. institutions • Regimes can be considered democratic or authoritarian
Regimes as Institutions • Often institutionalized • Not easily changed • Dramatic events, revolutions or crises, removal by war: “regime change” (Iraq) • Sometimes not institutionalized, leader operates as she or he sees fit: “L’État, c’est moi” (Louis XIV—“I am the State”)
States and Regimes, Hardware and Software • State is the computer hardware of politics – a constant that doesn’t change over time. • Regimes as political “software,” (democratic/authoritarian) for the computer – generally a constant • Each state is led by programmer (government) which can be changed relatively easy
What Is Government? • The leadership in charge of running the state • May be democratic or undemocratic • Weakly institutionalized—removed by public, by force, by mortality…
Origins of States and Political Organizations • Nomadic groups become sedentary—agriculture • Creation of surplus, specialization • Creation of inequality • Growth in population • Need to resolve dilemmas of freedom and equality—had not existed before
Emergence of Political Organization Development of societies required political organization • Make and enforce rules • Mechanism to solve conflict • Set collective goals Finding balance between freedom and equality led to questions of who should have power and how they should wield it
Pre-state Societies • Some scholars claim that the rise of the organized state led to increased violence • New research shows that in pre-state human groups, constant warfare and violence was endemic • States reduce warfare, increase protection, decrease violence, and gain legitimacy
The Advantages of States • Encouraged economic development as way to gain revenue, fight rivals • Encouraged technological innovation or application for same reason—gunpowder, cartography • Homogenization of peoples within territories—common language, customs, identity (a nation)
Comparing State Power How do we compare and evaluate states? • Forms of legitimacy • Relative centralization of power
Legitimacy Defined as a value where someone or something is recognized or accepted as right and proper • Confers authority and power • Legitimate behavior is seen as “right thing to do” from a sense of reciprocal responsibility • Consensus over coercion • Max Weber’s forms of legitimacy include traditional, charismatic and rational-legal.
Traditional Legitimacy • Valid because “it has always been done this way” • Accepted over a long period of time • Historical myths and legends • Continuity between past and present • Example: monarchy • Highly institutionalized
Charismatic Legitimacy • Opposite of traditional • Charisma as the force of ideas • Embodied in a single individual • Example: Hitler, Martin Luther King • Weakly institutionalized
Rational-Legal Legitimacy • Based on laws, procedures • Rules are key—how did someone come into power? • Example: George Bush, though some might contest this! Bumper sticker: “He’s not my president”—questioning election process • Strongly institutionalized
Centralization/Decentralization How much power does a state have, and where does that power reside? • Federalism/unitary
Federalism versus Unitary States • Federalism: significant powers devolved to the local level by constitution, not easily taken away • Examples of powers: taxes, education, security (local police, militia) • Examples of federal states: United States, Germany, Russia, Canada, Mexico
Unitary States • Power resides with central government • Can devolve powers to local level, but also take them away if it chooses • Examples of unitary states: Britain, Japan, France, Sweden
