The state

The term ‘state’ can be used to refer to a bewildering range of things: a collection of institutions, a
territorial unit, a historical entity, a philosophical idea and so on.

Government and the State

Defining the Government

Government is part of the state, and in some respects is its most important part, but it is only an
element within a much larger and more powerful entity.

Defining the State

 The defining feature of the state is sovereignty, its absolute and unrestricted power. The state
commands supreme power in that it stands above all other associations and groups in society
 The state, in particular, stands for the apparatus of government in its broadest sense, for those
institutions that are recognizably ‘public’ in that they are responsible for the collective
organization of communal life and are funded at the public’s expense.
 The state comprises the various institutions of government, the bureaucracy, the military,
police, courts, social security system and so forth; it can be identified with the entire ‘body
politic’.

Other Distinguishing Features of the State

1. State authority is territorially limited: states claim sovereignty only within their own borders and
thus regulate the flow of persons and goods across these borders.
2. The jurisdiction of the state within its borders is universal, that is, everyone living within a state
is subject to its authority.
3. States exercise compulsory jurisdiction.
4. State authority is backed up by coercion: the state must have the capacity to ensure that its laws
are obeyed, which in practice means that it must possess the ability to punish transgressors.

What is the Relationship Between the Government and the State?

 The state is an inclusive association, which in a sense embraces the entire community and
encompasses those institutions that constitute the public sphere. Government can thus be seen
 as merely part of the state. Moreover, the state is a continuing, even permanent, entity. By
contrast, government is temporary: governments come and go and systems of government can
be remodelled.
 On the other hand, although government may be possible without a state, the state is
inconceivable in the absence of government.

Theories of the State

Liberal Theory of the State

 This emerged out of the writings of social-contract theorists such as Hobbes and Locke.
 In liberal theory, the state is thus a neutral arbiter among competing groups and individuals in
society; it is an ‘umpire’ or ‘referee’, capable of protecting each citizen from the encroachment
of his or her fellow citizens.
 Marxists challenges the liberal image of the state as a neutral arbiter or umpire.

Pluralist Theory of the State

 Pluralism is, at heart, the theory that political power is dispersed amongst a wide variety of
social groups rather than an elite or ruling class. It is related to what Robert Dahl (see p. 145)
termed ‘polyarchy’, rule by the many.
 Pluralists believe that a rough equality exists among organized groups and interests, in that each
enjoys some measure of access to government and that government is prepared to listen
impartially to all.
 Pluralism is radically rejected by elitist thinkers.

Non-Pluralist Theory of the State

 In this view, the modern industrialized state is both more complex and less responsive to
popular pressures than the classic pluralist model suggests. While not dispensing altogether
with the notion of the state as an umpire acting in the public interest or common good, they
insist that this picture needs qualifying.

New Right Ideas and Theories

  The New Right, or at least its neo-liberal or libertarian wing, is distinguished by strong antipathy
towards government intervention in economic and social life, born of the belief that the state is
a parasitic growth which threatens both individual liberty and economic security.
 The state is no longer an impartial referee but has become a self-serving monster, a ‘nanny’ or
‘leviathan’ state, interfering in every aspect of life.

Debates Against State Power

 The most radical condemnation of state power is found in the writings of anarchists. Anarchists
believe that all forms of political authority are intrinsically oppressive, and regard the state as a
concentrated form of evil.
 Such thinking is rooted in the assumption that political power is, by its nature, corrupt and
corrupting, those in power being impelled to subordinate others for their own benefit,
regardless of the constitutional arrangements within which they operate.

Role of the State

The state acts, as Locke put it, as a nightwatchman, whose services are called on only when orderly
existence is threatened. What is called the ‘minimal’ or ‘nightwatchman’ state nevertheless has three
core functions: the maintenance of domestic order, the enforcement of contracts and the provision of
protection against external attack.

The Minimal State

The minimal state is the ideal of the liberal New Right, which argues that economic and social matters
should be left entirely in the hands of individuals or private businesses. In their view, the state’s
economic responsibilities should be restricted to creating conditions within which market forces can
most effectively operate. In practice, this means that the state should only promote competition and
ensure stable prices by regulating the supply of money.
Forms of State Interventions

1. Economic Management

2. The goals that aim to abolish private enterprise altogether and set up centrally planned economies,
administered by a network of economic ministries and planning committees.

State Control
 The most extreme form of state control is found in totalitarian states. The essence of
totalitarianism is the construction of an all-embracing state, whose influence penetrates every
aspect of human existence, the economy, education, culture, religion, family life and so forth.
 Totalitarian states are characterized by a pervasive system of ideological manipulation and a
comprehensive process of surveillance and terroristic policing.