Concepts in Comparative Politics

States

What is a state? An institution that monopolizes legal authority

within a given territory Weber: States have a “monopoly on violence” Where does the state enter your life? States as Image and Practice

Image: coherent, unified, above society Practice: made up of diverse people & agencies;

linked to society in various ways

What are the 3 main attributes of a state?Sovereignty

What is it? Who violates it?

Legitimacy How is it earned and maintained? (Weber)

Autonomy Real or imagined? Who impinges on state autonomy? (Marx)

What are the 5 main institutional parts of the state?Executive branch

A “government” in CP usually refers ONLY to the head of the govt & the cabinet

Legislative branchJudicial branchBureaucracyMilitary

Key concepts: Early contributions from Karl Marx & Max Weber

Karl Marx1818-1883

Marx, 1882.

Marx, an early picture.

Max WeberMax Weber1864-19201864-1920

Karl Marx – key ideas

history as a class-based struggle (“materialist” conception of history)

state as a “captive” of an economic elite (downplaying of the state)

national interests & identities becoming subsumed to global market forces

transformation of society: economics organizes society rather than the other way around

Max Weber – key contributions

Definitions of states “Ideal type” categorizations of different types of states Why people obey states founder of modern sociology: developed methodology for

studying societies so they could be compared to each other

Emphasized need for conceptual frameworks and categories rather than simple description

multi-causality: ideas and culture help shape economics and history. Politics is not all about economics!