State and Society Relations

State and Society
Relations
Prepared by: Ms. Mel
hanacademy.org/humanities/whp-origins/era-7-the-great-convergence-and-divergence-
1880-ce-to-the-future/74-end-of-empires-betaa/a/read-connecting-decolonization-empire-
and-the-cold-war-beta
Introduction
Decolonization has greatly impacted the political, economic, and socio-

cultural landscape of countries, especially of the former colonies (third
world), which in turn has also affected state-society relations. Some were
able to establish a strong state but others did not.
The lesson at hand will enlighten you on state-society relations, particularly
on how the same evolved in the era where many countries ( especially third
world)are supposed to be free from the bondage of colonization and how
their respective state organizations were and are able to shape their
societies.
Transformation of Societies and the
United Nations
• It has been said that “plans for social changes and the role of
the state in effecting those changes are no longer governed
by hopes and beliefs widely shared around the world; they
are also the written norms of legitimate bodies” (Migdal, 1988
p. 12)
How the United Nations has carefully considered the
socio-economic progress of third world countries
• The promotion of social and economic progress through the

development goals.
• The passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Specifying the international norms for the states with respect
to socio-economic development goals.
• The United Nations stressing the role of the states in advancing
national economic growth.
• Ensuring a higher standard of living through the state-initiated
programs.
United Nations
- respects the
status quo by
making the state
Elaborating
a political form of
comprehensive
a limited period of
plans for
all human history
undermining the
inviolable
status quo through
economic and
- States as the
social programs
building blocks of
promoted by states
the UN while UN will
protect them from
aggression
Role of the State
What should a state do with respect to the
society?
• They should provide the so called” set of rules of the game
composed of constitutional principles, laws, regulations, and
the like that state leaders are willing to enforce through
coercive means at their disposal (ibid p.14).
• There are also rules that encompass everything.
State Dominance
State’s Pervasiveness
• State’s presence and authority and the rules that it imposes in the lives of
people
• According to Galbraith, “[T]here is first of all the large and pervasive
apparatus of the modern state. In the non-socialist countries it can be a
little larger or a trifle smaller as conservatives or liberals, social democrats
or democrat socialists will it; but as all practical people must agree, it will
continue to be very large” (Galbraith, 1983 cited by Migdal).
• State organizations have ruled across large territories and

population. (as more states rose).
• Nevertheless, it must be noted that “the goal of universal
rules- common law, and broadly accepted norms- is not
totally a novelty of the modern era”.
Charles Tilly on how the state has imposed itself
in people’s lives
• According to Migdal (1988), Tilly “calculated the amount of
time a hypothetical average Frenchman spent working to
generate revenue for the state (through tax payments); in
1600, he estimated 50 hours of work per year, in 1966, 650
hours- a thirteenfold increase”.
• Note that other countries outside Europe looked up to the
accomplishments of European states.
• By the Mid 20th century, political leaders had adopted the

end of creating a state organization in a given territory,
through which they could make a set of rules that govern the
lives of people and could authorize other organization to
make some of these rules.
• The active participation and guidance of the state is required
in poor nations.
John P. Lewis on the role of the government
Attributes of Stateness
1. Leaders aim to hold a monopoly over the principal

means of coercion in their societies by maintaining
firm control over standing armies and police forces
while eliminating non-state forces.
2. Through state autonomy from domestic and outside forces

state officials have sought to act upon their own preferences,
making decisions to reshape, ignore, or circumvent the
preferences of even the strongest actors.
• 3. State leaders have aimed for significant differentiations of

its components; thus numerous agencies can take on the
specialized complex task of governing the details of people’s
lives.
Attribute of Stateness
• 4. State-builders have sought this components to be explicitly

coordinated allowing a coherence of the parts of the state
and shared purposes by those working in various agencies.
Ideal type Definition of State by Migdal
“State is an organization, composed of numerous agencies led and

coordinated by the state’s leadership (executive authority) that has the
ability or authority to make and implement the binding rules for all the
people as well as the parameters of rule-making for other social
organizations in a given territory using force if necessary to have its way.”
Ponder on these…..
Why has it been so significant for state organizations since the 16th century
to seek predominance, to make or authorize rules, and to move up the
scale of state attributes?
Why are state leaders so determined to changing the rules or to adhere to
the so-called “modernization?”
What are considered as threats to the existence of states and their leaders
First Modern States Applied the Triad Below
Tax
collecting
Mechanism
Social Control by the State
“Involves the successful subordination of people’s own

inclinations of social behavior or behavior sought by
other social organizations in favor of the behavior
prescribed by the state”
Think about this…
• What is the relationship between the role and

effectiveness of the state domestically and its place
in the world of states (international community)?
Factors that affect the capacity of a state to
dictate the rules of society
• Organizational capabilities its leaders
• Population
• Potential material and human resources available
• Larger international configuration at the moment
How is the strength of the state exemplified?
• Ability to mobilize society’s population (Krasner cited by Migdal)

• Mobilization, accordingly, “involves channeling people on specialized
organizational frameworks that enable state builders to build stronger
armies, collect more taxes, and complete any other number of
complicated tasks.”
Indicators of Social Control
• Compliance
• Participation
• Legitimation
Other important things to take note of
• The significance of rewards, sanctions, and symbols in

attaining social control
• States and web-like societies
• States and the strongmen struggle for social control.

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State and Society

Decolonization has greatly impacted the political, economic, and socio-

• The promotion of social and economic progress through the

• State organizations have ruled across large territories and

• By the Mid 20th century, political leaders had adopted the

1. Leaders aim to hold a monopoly over the principal

2. Through state autonomy from domestic and outside forces

• 3. State leaders have aimed for significant differentiations of

• 4. State-builders have sought this components to be explicitly

“State is an organization, composed of numerous agencies led and

“Involves the successful subordination of people’s own

• What is the relationship between the role and

• Ability to mobilize society’s population (Krasner cited by Migdal)

• The significance of rewards, sanctions, and symbols in

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