A state, as traditionally defined as an entity having territory, people, government and
sovereignty, is a set of
institutions and specialized personnel that regulates important aspects of the life of a
territorially bounded
population and extracts resources from that population through taxation. Its
regulations are backed by force if
necessary. It is recognized internationally as a state by other similarly constituted
states.
There are four elements in this definition: the regulatory
character of the state, the coercive aspect of the state apparatus, the extraction of
resources from the
population, and the role of the state as a unit (in fact, the basic and irreducible unit)
in the field of international relations.
NOTABLE THINKERS ABOUT THE NATURE OF STATE
City of God : ST. Auguistine of Hippo
State is an imperfect entity struggling the conditions of “bene ordinate” (well-
ordered) and “bene constituta” (well constituted) following the will of God.
The Prince : Niccolo Machiavelli
State has the capacity to expand or expire. If the state does not expand, it will expire
or cease to exist. The State being a political and striving entity should be powerful
by not having any traces of ethics.
The Prince : Niccolo Machiavelli : Max Weber
The modern state has three aspects: its territoriality, its monopoly of the legitimate
use of force and legitimacy.
The History of Government from the Earliest Times : Samuel Finer
State, as observed from the Sumerian civilization until the present, has the core
functions to organize armies, expand territories, maintain public order and protecting
the welfare of the people.
A.) SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORIES AS BASES ON THE ORIGIN OF STATE
Leviathan : Thomas Hobbes
State came into existence because of the chaotic nature of human beings that is
solitary, brutish, miserable and poor. State is a product resulted from the contract
of people to
form a civil society. State is created to provide peace and security to people but the
state should be absolute in doing this duty.
Second Treatise of Government : John Locke
The state of nature enables all people to be equal and free hence there is the
absence of unifying authority to enforce common laws since every man had the right
to execute the law. To end this inconvenience, the people decided to enter into a
contract and form the state and government.
The creation of state as civil society vests not in a single individual but in the whole
community.
The Social Contract:Jean Jacques Rousseau
The evolving state of nature as imbued with advance technology and economic
struggles cause inequality among people. Hence, people are enter into a contract
to address this problem. The state is created to observe fairness to all members of
the community such that no one enjoys any special privileges.
Modern Social Contract Theorist
Rights of Man :Thomas Paine
The consent of the people made the political community and the legitimate
government. Thus, if the people do not give their consent, legitimate rule is
impossible.
The Founder’s Constitution : Thomas Jefferson
The state’s authority is based on the sovereignty of the present generation. The
coherence of every law and constitution expires with the expiration of the majority
of the generation that had consented to it (about every 20 years according to
Jefferson’s mortality table.)
Reflections on the Revolution of France : Edmund Burke
The survival and legitimacy of the state is primarily based on the intergenerational
duties that transcend from old generation to the young generation.
B.) THEORY OF STRONG AND FAILED STATES AND THE SURVIVAL OF THE
STATE
(How will the state survive and reach its longevity?)
War, Peace and State of the State: K. J. Holsti
Essential Characteristics of a Strong State:
1. The ends and purposes of government have become settled and founded on a
significant ideological consensus;
2. Most social groups (ethnic, religious, linguistic, and the like) have been
successfully assimilated, or have achieved protection, equality, or self-
determination through
autonomy, federalism, or other special devices;
3. Secessionism no longer constitutes a major goal of minorities. Territorial
frontiers have become legitimized and sanctified through legal instruments;
4. Leaders are selected on the basis of a regular procedure like elections. No
group, family, clan or sector can hold power permanently (unless legitimized by the
general
consent of the people);
5. Military and policy organizations remain under effective civilian control;
6. The mores of governance preclude personal enrichment through various political
activities
Beyond the Failed State: Charles T. Call
The main contributions to the theorization of the
"failed-state" is the "gap framework" developed by Call
(2010). This framework builds on his previous (2008)
criticisms of ‘state failure’, as a concept used as a catch-all
term for diverse states with varying problems and as a base
and explanation for universal policy prescriptions.
It unravels the concept of "state failure" focusing on three
gaps that the state is not able to provide when it is in the
process of failure:
1.) capacity, when state institutions lack the
ability to effectively deliver basic goods and services
to its population;
2.) security, when the state is unable to provide
security to its population under the threat of armed
groups; and
3.) legitimacy, when a "significant portion of its
political elites and society reject the rules regulating
power and the accumulation and distribution of wealth."
