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Policy and Governance workbook
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Policy and Governance WorkbookQuestion 1
When we talk about a state there are key features that always come back, namely: territory,
people and sovereignty. Max Weber refines these 3 features in his definition of a state. He
states that the sovereignty should not only be legal, but also legitimate. So, it is not the legal
physical use of force, which the states have as a monopoly, that distinguishes states from big
IOs, but the legitimate use. The legitimate use of physical force must be a monopoly. This to
avoid anarchy and lawfulness.
Britain
When we look at Britain, we can say that it has a permanent population and a clear defined
territory. Britain also has a government situated in London, so when we look at just the key
features, GB is a state. For GB to be considered a state by Webers definition, we need to
look further. It is considered a representative democracy. Unlike many, it has an unwritten
constitution, which makes it vague and flexible. The makes it hard to say how legal it is in a
way. The legitimacy of the government is shown by the people that pay taxes and generally
protesters stay within legal bounds. The political participation is reasonably high in GB, even
though many British say they are not very interested in politics. That all makes that the
government can be considered legitimate and thus considered a state. Only Northern Ireland
has some issues.
Nigeria
Nigeria is considered a new democracy and it faces many challenges. Three groups within
the country are influential in the countries’ politics. The Hausa-Fulani, the Igbo and the
Yoruba. If we look at the 3 criteria, Nigeria can be considered a state. If we look at Weber’s
definition, it is more difficult. Because of the various groups living in the country, there is a
lot of tension between these groups. In rural communities, it is mainly the traditional leaders
that play a role in maintaining law and order. There also is a lot of corruption in the country.
Since the increase in terrorist violence since 2009, the military’s role has become more
powerful. But it is questionable whether or not the state has the legitimate use of physical
force as a monopoly, with all the groups within the country that still have their own way of
maintaining law and order and don’t always accept the state’s enforcement.
Russia
Looking at the three key features, people, territory and sovereignty, we can say that Russia is
a state. However, the political participation in the country really differs, where the better off
are more active than the poor people. This can be seen as a sign that the legality of the use
of physical force is missing, as many people do not participate in the political process and
many are suppressed, making it difficult to know whether they accept it. Russia does have a
very strong army.
The US
The US has a defined territory, it does however have a few border disputes with Canada and
Mexico. It also has a government which constitution is written and quite strong. It has a
government, which is legal for weber to consider it a state, it also needs to be legitimate.
, The monopoly to the use of physical force might be harder because of the (lack of) gun laws.
The government has the monopoly, so according to weber it is a state.
2. Stein Rokkan distinguishes for phases in state (and nation) formation. Those four phases
are:
1. Penetration: unification and centralization of a given territory by elites.
2. Nation building: standardization: create a common feeling of identity. e.g. Through a
common language.
3. Mass democracies: equalization: create democracies. Mass democracies required
educating the masses.
4. Welfare states: redistribution: the strengthening of economic solidarity between
different parts of the population.
In case of the Netherlands, centralization took place first, indeed. However, I doubt whether
the territory that got centralized back then was the same territory as what the Netherlands
is, now. Nation building was introduced in the Netherlands during the time of Willem van
Oranje for some earlier form of the national anthem was introduced to the people, back
then. The Netherlands has, of course, become a democracy. Nowadays, the Netherlands is
to be considered a well-functioning welfare state, as well.
3. The four approaches to the relationship between state and society are:
1. State supremacy: The state is a self-regulating and supreme power. The state
dominates society. An acquainted term is “Etatism”. Etatism emphasizes state power
and the accompanying reduction of social and individual rights. The state mainly
influences society, whilst society provides the state with powers.
2. State dependency: In this case, the state is an instrument to strengthen the dominant
position of specific groups in society. Therefore, the state is dependent on society,
especially in economic relations. According to Marxists, the state is expected to
provide a free market necessary for making profits, whilst maintaining social order
and ensuring that the population is educated and wealthy enough to provide efficient
work force.
3. Interdependency: Relationships of exchange are present between state and society.
The state is more involved in economic and social regulation. Simultaneously, society
requires more coordination, regulation and arbitration.
4. Separation and autonomy: The belief here is that social groups, interest groups and
organization cannot and should not be regulated by the state. The state, therefor, is a
battlefield occupied by many conflicting groups and interests. Both state and social
activities do have their limits.
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