LECTURE 13

POLITICS AND THE STATE (Part 2)

The Role of the State

■ The minimal state

■ The developmental state
■ The social-democratic state
■ The collectivized state
■ The totalitarian state
The minimal state

Minimal states merely lay down the conditions for orderly

existence. They could be understood as protective bodies which
provide only a framework of peace and social order within which
citizens can conduct their lives as they think best. In a minimal
state, decisions are usually made at the smallest possible political
unit such as a town assembly or a municipality (local
government). Libertarian ideology supports such a state. E.g.
Local schools would be run by the residents of the
neighbourhood.
The developmental state

Developmental states attempt to promote growth and economic

development. These are states that intervene in economic life for
the specific purpose of promoting industrial growth and
economical development. Best example to this type of a state
would be post-WWII Japan with its government organized
corporations.
The social-democratic state

Social-democratic states aim to rectify the imbalances and

injustices of a market economy. Social democratic states attempt
to correct the ugly sides of market economies. These states are
also called ‘Welfare States’. Examples include Scandinavian
states of Norway, Sweden, Finland as well as the United
Kingdom in some areas (free healthcare).
The collectivized state

Collectivized states exert control over the entirety of economic

life, usually through a system of central planning e.g. Soviet
Socialist Republics of the Cold War period.
Totalitarian states

These are all-encompassing states whose influence penetrates

every aspect of human existence, thus abolishing the distinction
between the state and civil society.
Globalization and the State

The rise of globalization has led to the decline of the state as an

international actor. Power has moved away from the state and
towards markets, thus Transnational Companies (TNCs).
Economic activity takes place in a borderless world and this is called
‘supraterritoriality’. This limits the ‘economic sovereignty’ of states.
Globalization also has social and cultural results. Some theorists
claim that ‘time and space’ is no longer existing. Shares are traded in
different time zones at the same time. With the ease of travel and
other technologies the idea of ‘space’ disappeared.