The State & Democratic Regimes Flashcards
The importance of the state:
-most powerful political unit that we know
-most important level of analysis
-all regimes are organised under the large framework of the state
Two different positions in the literature on the modern state:
Hobbes (Leviathan) and Graeber (The Dawn of Everything)
Hobbes (Leviathan)’s position on the modern state:
-life before the arrival of the state was brutish and short
-emergence of the state was associated with modernisation, peace and prosperity
Graeber (The Dawn of Everything)’s position on the modern state:
-many political parties before states were even more democratic then some known states
-questions if the state is still meaningful
-argues that market forces replace the state when providing goods and services
-forces of globalisation and regionalism
definition of a modern state:
A sovereign polity characterised by a complex set of institutions, territorially bound, which enjoys authoritative rule-making backed up by a monopoly of the means of violence
two types of sovereignty:
Internal sovereignty: state is independent of other internal powers
External sovereignty: state is recognised by other states
what are quasi-states?
states that may not have one or both of the two types of sovereignty
what are two examples of quasi-states?
Somalia: lacks internal sovereignty (challenged by rebels)
Somaliland: lacks external sovereignty (unrecognised)
Why and how did states emerge in Europe? (Tilly)
war made the state and the state made war
How did states emerge elsewhere?
Transformation
Unification
Secession
Decolonisation
what is meant by transformation in the context of state emergence?
Gradually changing from a monarchy into a state (Great Britain, France)
what is meant by unification in the context of state emergence?
Independent city states unite into one state (Kingdom of Italy, German Empire)
what is meant by secession in the context of state emergence?
Break-up of large federal states or empires (Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolves into Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc.)
what is meant by decolonisation in the context of state emergence?
Former colonies turn into independent states (most of Africa and Asia)
what are the two distinctions of state power? (Michael Mann, 1984)
Despotic power
Infrastructural power
what is Despotic Power?
Actions a state can take without consulting its society (liberal democracies refrain from using it)
what is Infrastructural Power?
Capacity of the state to push its decisions on society (modern states have had a gradual but linear rise of it)
LOW Despotic Power and LOW Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?
Feudal
HIGH Despotic Power and LOW Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?
Imperial
LOW Despotic Power and HIGH Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?
Democratic
HIGH Despotic Power and HIGH Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?
Single-Party
Types of democratic regimes:
- Liberal (full) democracy
- Electoral (flawed) democracy
- Representative democracy
- Direct/deliberative democracy
Important facts about representative democracies:
-Rulers are chosen in free and fair elections
-People rule indirectly by electing their representatives and holding them accountable through elections
-It can be of varying quality (full vs. flawed)
What are the alternatives of representative democracies?
-Democratic Alternatives (Direct/Deliberative)
-Non-democratic Alternatives
-Two dimensions of democracy (Robert Dahl):
contestation and inclusiveness
Three waves of representative democracies according to Huntington:
First wave: 1828 - 1926 (Netherlands)
Second wave: 1943 - 1964 (Germany, Italy, Japan)
Third wave: 1973 - Now (Spain, Portugal, Hungary, etc.)
