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O’Neil et. al. – Essentials of Comparative Politics Chapter 2,
States
Introduction to Political Science (University of Ottawa)
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O’Neil et. al. – Essentials of Comparative Politics Chapter 2, States
Defining the State
- Political scientists, drawing on the work of the German scholar Max Weber, typically
define the state as the organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a territory.
- One of the most important elements of a state is what we call sovereignty, the ability to
carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and
internal rivals. In other words, a state needs to be able to act as the primary authority over
its territory and the people who live there, passing and enforcing laws, defining and
protecting rights, resolving disputes between people and organizations, and generating
domestic security. To achieve this, a state needs power, typically (but not only) physical
power. If a state cannot defend its territory from outside actors such as other states, then it
runs the risk that its rivals will interfere with its authority, inflicting damage, taking its
territory, or destroying the state outright. Similarly, if the state faces powerful opponents
within its own territory, such as organized crime or rebel movements, its rules and
policies may be undermined. Therefore, a state must be armed to secure control and
armies to protect against international rivals.
- A state is thus a set of institutions that wields the most force within a territory,
establishing order and deterring challengers from inside and out. In so doing, it provides
security for its subjects by limiting the danger of external attack and internal crime and
disorder—both of which threaten the state and its citizens. In some ways, a state
(especially a nondemocratic one) is a kind of protection racket—demanding money in
return for the maintenance of security and order, staking out turf, defending those it
protects from rivals, settling internal disputes, and punishing those who do not pay.
- But most states are far more complex than mere entities that apply force. Unlike criminal
rackets, the state is made up of a large number of institutions that are engaged in the
process of turning political ideas into policy. Laws and regulations, property rights, health
and labor, the environment, and transportation are but a few policy areas that typically
fall under the responsibility of the state. Because of these responsibilities, the state serves
as a set of institutions (ministries, offices, army, police) that society deems necessary to
Downloaded by Pier Youssef ()
O’Neil et. al. – Essentials of Comparative Politics Chapter 2,
States
Introduction to Political Science (University of Ottawa)
Scan to open on Studocu
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
Downloaded by Pier Youssef ()
, lOMoARcPSD|6958088
O’Neil et. al. – Essentials of Comparative Politics Chapter 2, States
Defining the State
- Political scientists, drawing on the work of the German scholar Max Weber, typically
define the state as the organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a territory.
- One of the most important elements of a state is what we call sovereignty, the ability to
carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and
internal rivals. In other words, a state needs to be able to act as the primary authority over
its territory and the people who live there, passing and enforcing laws, defining and
protecting rights, resolving disputes between people and organizations, and generating
domestic security. To achieve this, a state needs power, typically (but not only) physical
power. If a state cannot defend its territory from outside actors such as other states, then it
runs the risk that its rivals will interfere with its authority, inflicting damage, taking its
territory, or destroying the state outright. Similarly, if the state faces powerful opponents
within its own territory, such as organized crime or rebel movements, its rules and
policies may be undermined. Therefore, a state must be armed to secure control and
armies to protect against international rivals.
- A state is thus a set of institutions that wields the most force within a territory,
establishing order and deterring challengers from inside and out. In so doing, it provides
security for its subjects by limiting the danger of external attack and internal crime and
disorder—both of which threaten the state and its citizens. In some ways, a state
(especially a nondemocratic one) is a kind of protection racket—demanding money in
return for the maintenance of security and order, staking out turf, defending those it
protects from rivals, settling internal disputes, and punishing those who do not pay.
- But most states are far more complex than mere entities that apply force. Unlike criminal
rackets, the state is made up of a large number of institutions that are engaged in the
process of turning political ideas into policy. Laws and regulations, property rights, health
and labor, the environment, and transportation are but a few policy areas that typically
fall under the responsibility of the state. Because of these responsibilities, the state serves
as a set of institutions (ministries, offices, army, police) that society deems necessary to
Downloaded by Pier Youssef ()
