1. James N. Danziger
CHAPTER FIVE
STATES & NATIONS

2. THE STATE

3. Are These States? Hong Kong Taiwan Ukraine Syria Iraq ISIS Palestine
Iraqi Kurdistan
Scotland
Basque Spain
Afghanistan
Colombia
TRNC

4. « a territorially bound sovereign entity »
The modern legally founded conception of «the state» used in the social sciences is of:
« a territorially bound sovereign entity »

6. (eg ministries, armed forces, courts)
State
In political science the term «state» is also commonly used to refer to:
«the set of organizational units and people that perform political functions for a national territorial entity»
(eg ministries, armed forces, courts)

7. Sovereignty «Sovereignty» refers to the:
«premise that each state has complete authority & is the ultimate source of law within its own boundaries.»
The sovereign equality of states, «has legal standing and moral force in international law» & «is reflected in a fundamental principle of the UN», but, «the reality of international politics is that a state’s sovereign rights depend ultimately on whether the state has sufficient power to enforce its position.»

8. Territorial Integrity
The doctrine of Territorial Integrity is related to the concept of sovereignty and holds that:
« a state has the right to resist and reject any aggression, invasion, or intervention within its territorial boundaries. »
However, several factors can complicate whether or not there is general agreement as to the right to defend territorial integrity:

9. Disputes over Territorial Integrity
Contested boundaries: it’s not always agreed where territorial boundaries are.
Disagreement over legitimate rulers: sometimes more than one group with different supporters claims to have legitimacy in ruling the state.
Existence of serious human rights violations: Increased acceptance that even the use of force in or against states for the purpose of «humanitarian intervention» is justified, when there are, «gross violations of human rights».

10. Structural-Functional Definitions of the State
Structural-functional definitions of the state focus on «the key organizational structures that operate as ‘the government’ and the key functions that the state performs». From this perspective the state is:
«the organized institutional machinery for making and carrying out political decisions and for enforcing the laws and rules of the government».
Weber argued one particular function makes the state different to other types of organization: «its monopoly on the legitimate use of force and coercion».

11. Gabriel Almond’s 8 Requisite Functions of the State
Gabriel Almond argued there were 8 key functions states need to carry out in order to survive:
1) Political Socialization – process of acquiring political orientation
2) Political Recruitment – bringing people into roles as political activists
3) Political Communication – flow of political information through society
4) Interest Articulation – communication of needs/wants from state
5) Interest Aggregation – transformation of needs/wants into few coherent alternatives
6) Policy Making – establishing laws/policy decisions/value allocations
7) Policy Implementation – application of laws/policy decisions
8) Policy Adjudication – interpreting/resolving disagreement regarding meaning & implementation of policies

12. Are These States? Hong Kong Taiwan Ukraine Syria Iraq ISIS Palestine
Iraqi Kurdistan
Scotland
Basque Spain
Afghanistan
Colombia
TRNC

14. THE NATION

15. The Nation Danziger defines «the nation» as:
« a set of people with a deeply shared fundamental identification […] a community of understanding, of communication, and of trust» (based on factors such as culture, religion, ethnicity, language, kinship).
Unlike the state its definition is not based on legal or structural-functional premises, but instead on powerful psychological and emotional association.

16. Nationalism Danziger defines «nationalism» as:
«a powerful commitment to the advancement of the interests and welfare of an individual’s own nation, with minimal concern about the conditions of those outside the nation.»
As such nationalism leads to a strong sense of «us», (i.e. our nation), and «them», those who are beyond the boundaries of our nation. Nationalism can be particularly intense and when related to religious, racial and/or ethnic differences (ethnonationalism).

17. The Nation-State (1)
For nationalists, those who identify closely with the nation and possess a strong sense of nationalism, the ideal form of governance is the «nation-state».
The nation-state: «is an area that has both the territorial boundaries of a single state and a citizenry who all share the same primary national identity.»
In practice, however, the boundaries of nations and states overlap and national rivalries as to who has possession of which territory can be a cause of violent conflict.

18. The Nation-State (2)
Nation
State
Nation-State

19. Today there are almost 200 member-states of the United Nations, but many of these can be considered «multi-national states» with multiple significant groups identifying with different nations.
Some observers predict that continuing nationalist diputes will continue to be a major source of often, (though not always) violent conflict and demands for the creation of new states will eventually lead to the establishment of many new states.

25. THE POLITICAL SYSTEM

26. The concept of the «political system», most closely associated with the work of political scientist David Easton, is broader than that of the nation or state; it tries to explain the «structures and dynamics of organized politics at all levels» and interdependence of all the components within the system.
With the different parts of the political system being mutually dependent, effecting each other in an interrelated way, changes in one part have an impact on changes in others.

27. For Easton, politics consists of activities related to the «authoritative allocation of values for a society» , and this allocation occurs through the political system.
Based on this definition, positive political values include:
a) abstract ideals that inspire or justify political actions, (eg freedom, equality)
b) material goods & services (eg housing, food, education, healthcare)
c) conditions (eg peace and security, order)
d) symbolic goods (eg status)

28. By saying that political values are «allocated» Easton means that choices must be made in terms of who gets what. As explained by Danziger allocation is : «the process by which decisions are taken to grant values to some and deny values to others».
What makes the allocation of political values «authoritative» is their «acceptance as binding by those people affected by the decisions»

29. Authority
Why do people accept political «authority» of the state? Different factors contribute to belief that decisions have legitimacy, that they deserve voluntarily respect because that is «the right thing to do», or because it is in our interests to respect them. Sources of authority include:
Belief that laws have been made rationally
Long-standing traditional patterns of acceptance
Charisma of individuals wielding authority
Acceptance of a social contract with the state
Being convinced through socialization
Individual utility, or satisfaction with benefits gained
Fear of Sanction, or punishment such as fines or prison

30. The Boundaries of the Political System
For Easton, the limits of the political system are determined by the domain/area to which values are being allocated to. In every political system the boundaries of the public domain where values are allocated for society may differ, depending largely on the extent to which the state’s role is defined. In some, for example, the state may play very little role in family life, whereas in others it may designate limits to the number of children, or on the contrary provide incentives for more.

31. Easton’s Conceptualization of the Political System
Feedback
Loop
Extrasocietal Environment
Intrasocietal Environment
Feedback
Loop
INPUTS
CONVERSION
OUTPUTS
Political
Political System
Economic
Economic
Demands
Social
Social
Ecological
Supports
Other
Ecological
Other
* Modelled on Danziger’s Figure 5.1, p.127

32. Terms in Easton’s Conceptualization of Political System
Environment = «all those activities not included within the state’s activity domain»
Demands = «wants or desires for particular value allocations»
Supports = «actions by individuals or groups that indicate either favorable or unfavorable orientations toward the political system»

33. Conversion = «process by which political actors assess demands and supports within the context of the relevant environmental forces & then determine what values will be allocated to whom»
Outputs = «implemented decisions of the political system»
[outcomes/impacts of outputs «alter aspects of the environment and thus will affect the next round of demands & supports.]
Feedback = «dynamics through which info. about the changing nature of the political system & its environment is monitored by the system»

34. http://www. youtube. com/watch