1. Basics of States

2. What is a state? sovereign political institutions
possess the power to make policy decisions
Can use force legitimately

3. What’s the difference between a state, nation and ethnicity?
State has:
Sovereignty (no higher authority)
Power
Territory bounded by borders
people
“monopology on the legitimate use of force”
People often refer to them as countries or nations

4. What’s the difference between a state, nation and ethnicity?
Ethnicity is common
Language
Religion
History
Self-identified

5. What’s the difference between a state, nation and ethnicity?
A nation is a group of people bonded together by a sense of sovereign political destiny (ie. We should be/are a state)
Nation-state (compare borders…)
Some nations are stateless…
basis
Often a desire for self government
Scotland
China versus Nigeria…

6. Citizenship? A formal relationship between the state and individual
Rights
Privileges
Purely political
Basis for patriotism (pride in state)

7. Strong versus weak states (capacity)
Strong-government has ability to enact, execute and enforce policy
Great Britain and national health system (Olympics)
Weak state cannot carry out even popular programs
Nigeria struggles with legal and law enforcement framework
Failed states are unable to provide basic law and order
To what extent are states autonomous? (need support of people)

8. Kinds of Legitimacy (perception of right to rule)
Traditional Legitimacy
Power obtained through traditions being maintained
Consistency and predictability
Like hereditary monarchs
Examples Tsarist Russia
China
Iran before revolution of ‘79

9. Kinds of Legitimacy (perception of right to rule)
Charismatic (personality cult)
Single individual captures loyalty and attention of the people
Often after revolutions/upheaval/crisis
Stalin
Mao
Khomeini
Trump?

10. Kinds of Legitimacy (perception of right to rule)
Rational-legal—rules of the political game
Leaders exercise power under specific rules
Rules say what powers and when (ie. Defined term of office)
Great Britain
United States

11. Kinds of state governments
Unitary states
All or almost all centralized power
Regional governments will not be very meaningful in comparison
China, Iran
Sometimes central governments adopt devolution policy (willingly cede power to obtain a policy objective)
Tony Blair with Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland
Canada with Quebec

12. Kinds of state governments
Federal
Official division of powers (constitution) between central and regional governments
US with ratification of constitution
Mexico and Nigeria are federal
Russia used to be…

13. Kinds of state governments
Confederation
One central government is not truly sovereign over its members
Uncommon in modern states (ie. USSR to CIS)
Many supranational organizations are confederations

14. SUPRAnational Organizations
Group makes collective decisions
Sovereignty may be given up in certain areas (ie. Trade, but not military)
Some sovereignty given up: EU
WTO
Little/no sovereignty given up: UN

15. Politics & Society…
Cleavages
Attitude
Ideology
Culture