Governance: Defining National and European Governance - Book chapters

13 important questions on Governance: Defining National and European Governance - Book chapters

The state is a relatively new political invention. What are the conventional characteristics of the state?

  1. A state entails a territory;
  2. A state entails a people;
  3. A state is sovereign (internal and external -> states are acknowledged by other states).

What four characteristics belong to the Weberian definition of a state?

  1. The 3 conventional characteristics are accepted;
  2. Legal and legitimate (there is a distinction between these two);
  3. Use of physical force alone does not distinguish;
  4. Government (as actor).

What are the three pathways for the development of states?

  1. Transformation of existing political units (treaty of Westphalia 1648);
  2. Unification of different political units;
  3. Secession of political units that become independent.
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What are the four stages of state formation and nation-building, according to Stein Rokkan?

  1. State formation (penetration);
  2. Nation-building (standardisation);
  3. Mass democracies (equalisation);
  4. Welfare states (redistribution).

What is meant by a failed state?

A failed state is a country that has lost control of some of its territory and government authority and is unable to fulfil the basic functions of a sovereign state.

What broad division between state theories can you make?

A. Normative political theories (based on values and judgements about how the world should be);
B. Empirical political theories (based on how states actually operate and why by examining evidence).

What are the four most common empirical political theories?

A. Constitutional (legitimacy);
B. Ethical and moral;
C. Conflict;
D. Pluralist.

What does the Constitutional approach to empirical political theories entail?

According to Constitutional political theories, the state is established by some agreement or social contract between citizens and rulers that defines the major functions and tasks of the state and the power of its rulers. The main concern is how the legitimacy of the state is established.

What do the Ethical and Moral approaches to empirical political theories entail?

According to Ethical and Moral political theories, the starting point is how we can organize society so that individuals can live together in peace and harmony.

What does the Conflict approach to empirical political theories entail?

According to Conflict political theories, society is characterized by a conflicting nature of interests and values and it sees the state as a device to exercise the power necessary to regulate these conflicts.

What does the Pluralist approach to empirical political theories entail?

According to Pluralist political theories, the state is the main instrument for the regulation of conflict and the reconciliation of competing interests. Pluralists see the state as a kind of referee that uses its legitimate authority (force if necessary) to make sure that competing interests are resolved without violence or socially disruptive consequences.

What three indicators are there so one can distinguish democracies and non-democracies?

  • Citizens' rights (human rights);
  • Elections;
  • Parliamentary accountability.

What four major approaches to the relationship between state and society can one distinguish?

  1. State supremacy;
  2. State dependency;
  3. Interdependency;
  4. Separation and autonomy.

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