Week 1 - The State Flashcards
What are the characteristics of the State?
- Clear hierarchy and centralised authority
- Universalistic
- Impersonal performance (political neutrality)
- Division of labour based on expertise
- Appointments based on competence
- Clear division between public and private sector
- Focus on cost reduction and efficiency
What do post modernists, Neoliberal’s and Marxists think about the State?
Post - Modernists: the States are no longer relevant in an ever- changing and globalising world
Neoliberal’s: we need to move beyond the state as it is a constraining force in politics and economic logics - instead of trying to analyse the state as an unchallenged form; we need to challenge the norm of the state as a standing perspective.
Marxist’s: they see the state as a backward political entity which is a problem that needs to be eliminated as it divides the working class and distorts the class struggle
Why does the concept of the State not match the Weberian Model?
The American State does not do directly - a lot of the things that are associated with states. This is because it is dependent on other entities to deliver goods which we see as a part of the centralised government in other countries.
How is power in the United States vertically divided?
Through institutions such as the Federal (national) Government, the State Government and the Local Government
How is power in the United States horizontally divided?
Through institutions such as Congress, the Supreme Court, Executive Agencies and Regulatory Agencies
Give 2 examples of where the Federal Government has standardised without holding the authority to impose a standard…
1) The Federal Government used money needed by the States for highway infrastructure - the Government would only give the States more money if they changed their drinking age to 21
2) Washington became more involved in the education policy with the No Child Left Behind. In this, Bush said that the Government would give money for education if a standard level of education was achieved by each of the States.
Explain ‘Submerged State’ and ‘Government by Proxy’
This is the argument that states and local governments alongside the private sector aid policy delivery - focuses on the services that people like, but do not acknowledge
Give examples of the Submerged State…
1) Tax Deductions - all Americans are overtaxed and then there are deductions which are seen as ‘paid positive benefits’; these include home mortgage interest deduction and employer provided health insurance deduction
2) Regulatory Frameworks - ensures all buildings can be accessible for those with disabilities; this includes the Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements
3) Government Loans: small business and student loans both come from the Federal Government - the big government gives the small banks loans
Case Study: Jack Gilchrist
Part of a campaign against Obama who in Presidential preparation said that no one gets anywhere on their own. In response to this, they introduced Jack Gilchrist who was a metal worker and he was used by the Romney campaign to target the idea that people can build their own businesses, nevertheless, it was discovered that he took an $800,000 in tax exempt bonds from the state of New Hampshire, $500,000 loan from the Small Businesses Administration and funding from a federally funded trade adjustment programme
What is a social problem of the Submerged State?
It skews social benefits to the wealthy; e.g. the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction was a subsidy to home ownership - the total cost of the program in 1995 was $51.2 billion but 0% of it was spent on those earning under $10,000, over 85% spent on those earning over $50,000 a year and 44.2% spent on those earning $100,000 or more per year
Why can American’s not see the State?
American’s cannot see the State and this is because it is so well integrated in daily life - they are desensitivised to it and therefore they do not think that the State does much e.g. we often fail to see the post office as a government agency and this is because it is so integrated into our lives that it has become invisible
How does the image of the State differ?
This links to the idea that the state is enhanced or obscured for particular individuals by things such as personal experience, political or ideological dispositions and political knowledge.
Furthermore, people may be more or less likely to classify an aspect of governance as ‘state’ or ‘non state’ depending on the way that they interact with it
What are the two ways that government programmes can be misrecognised?
1) Attribution: a person may fail to recognise the state because they classify a policy that involves non state actors as fully private
2) Desensitisation: a person may fail to recognise the State because its presence is taken so much for granted that it fades into the background e.g. most people head to work everyday on government roads but do not notice the government’s role in facilitating their commute
Case Study: Healthy San Francisco
It was the first major American City Program to provide universal healthcare. In attempts to pay for this, restaurants added a ‘surcharge’ which normally was presented as a percentage charge on the bill.
The allocation of the responsibility of filling the additional cost was not necessarily a move to delegitimise HSF, however, it was an attempt to mark the fiscal demands that were imposed by the State.
Nevertheless, it was exposed that private actors had been exercising the money for their own benefit and therefore were taking the money from people - 50 businesses were taken to court for Fraud.
