The State of the Study of the State
Considers the normative question of the state's role in the economy & polity, raising issues surrounding democratic accountability. A literature review traces the development of state theory since Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, & Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The state is defined here as a "complex apparatus of centralized & institutionalized power that concentrates violence, establishes property rights, & regulates society in a given territory while being formally recognized as a state by international forums." A distinction is drawn between issues examined in the study of the state vs those looked at in analyses of government. Sticking with the domestic side, the state's part in economic & political development is explored. The state enforces contracts & provides public goods & social insurance. However, there are different kinds of states that impact the economy & polity in different ways. The state as Leviathan & predatory is addressed as a form that is a threat to liberty & a source of economic decline. However, states can also facilitate economic growth & democratization by enhancing physical, human, & social capital, building social networks & relationships of trust & authority. Despite this growth, democracy can still come under pressure from the state if accountability is reduced, the state is captured by interests with goals other than general welfare, or governance fails to meet public wants & needs. It is argued that political inquiry must move beyond thick descriptions of specific states at specific times to build models & falsifiable hypotheses generated from realistic & logical presuppositions about the state & its relationship to society. The manner in which to derive testable hypotheses is outlined. J. Zendejas