The State of the STATE

Gary G. Ador Dionisio

Assistant Professor
SMS – Social Science Area

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The State of the State
I. Introduction: The State of the State
 Based on the movie The City of
God, what are the prominent
features of the STATE?
 Should the state always above to the
interest of the People?
 What is the difference between the
state and government? What are the
reasons why there are confusion on
these two concepts?
 What are the different theories in
explaining the use of state power?
 Has the state lost its relevance at this
juncture?

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The State of the State
II. What is state: Defining State
 The state is a political
association that establishes
sovereign jurisdiction within
defined territorial borders, and
exercise authority through a set
of permanent institutions
(Heywood 2002:87)
 The state is the locus of social
power (Poggi 2002:35)
3 different ways in understanding
the state
 idealist approach
 functionalist approach
 organizational approach

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The State of the State
5 Key features of the state
 The state is sovereign
 The state institutions are
recognizably public
 The state is an exercise of
legitimation
 The state is an instrument of
domination
 The state is a territorial association
III. The Principal differences between
government and the state are the
following
 The state is more extensive than
govt. Government is part of the
state
 The state is a continuing, even
permanent entirety. Government is
temporary
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The State of the State
 Government is the means through which the
authority of the state is brought into
operation
 The state exercises impersonal authority
 The state in theory represents the
permanent interest of the society.
Government represents partisan interest
IV. Rival Theories of the State
A. Pluralist State
 The state is like a wind vane, it depends in
whatever direction that public at large
dictates
Proponents: John Locke, Jeremy Bentham
(classical)
Robert Dahl, Charles Lindblom
(modern)

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The State of the State
b. The Capitalist State
 The state is the instrument of the
capitalist class in order to maintain
its hold in our society
 The executive of the modern state is
but a committee for managing the
common affairs of the whole
bourgeoisie (Communist Manifesto
1848:82)
 The state is instrument of class
oppression
 The state is relative autonomy from
the class system
Proponents: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels,
Lenin
(classical)
Ralph Miliband, Paul Sweezy,
Nicos Poulantzas
(modern)
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The State of the State
C. The Leviathan State
 The image of the state as a
leviathan (in effect a self serving
monster intent for expansion and
aggrandizement)
 State intervention should be
limited
 Emphasizing the role of
individual and market
Proponents: Thomas Hobbes, Adam
Smith (classical)
Friedrich Hayek,
Milton Friedman (modern)

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The State of the State
D. The Patriarchal State
 The issue of gender is an
important issue, for it dictates
who controls the state
 Male power is a central political
issue
 Little role of women in our
society
 Powerlessness of women in the
state
Proponent: Marry Wollstonecrat
(classical)
Catherine Mckinnon
(modern)
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The State of the State
V. The Role of the State
a. Minimal states
 Ensures that individuals
enjoy the widest possible
realm of freedom
 Negative view of the state
 The administrative, judicial
and police functions
 Let the market dictates the
needs of the people
e.g. USA, UK, etc
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The State of the State
B. Developmental States
 A developmental state is
one that intervenes in
economic life with the
specific purpose of
promoting industrial
growth and economic
development
 Govt + Market =
Developmental state
 Minimal presence of
human rights and freedom
e.g. Japan, Germany, etc
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The State of the State
C. Social Democratic states
 Social democratic state does not
only promote industrial growth
and economic development it
brings issues such as social
justice, freedom, human rights
and equality
 Positive view of the state
 Manage or regulate capitalism
with strong social protection
e.g. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, etc

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The State of the State
D. Collectivized States
 Collectivized states bring
the entirety of economic
life under state control
 Plan and Command
Economy
 State collectivization or
property of the state
e.g. USSR (old), Poland and
Hungary (old), Cuba

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The State of the State
E. Totalitarian states
 State controls all aspects of
human life, economic,
political, socio-cultural,
etc.
 The state is everything

 All for the state

e.g. Cambodia (Pol Pot),

Russia (Stalin), China
(Mao Tse Tung)
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The State of the State
VI. Conclusion
“Bringing the state back in”

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