James N. Danziger
CHAPTER FIVE
STATES & NATIONS
1
THE STATE

The modern legally founded conception of «the
state» used in the social sciences is of:
« a territorially bound sovereign entity »
3

In political science the term «state» is also
commonly used to refer to:
«the set of organizational units and people that
performs the political functions for a national
territorial entity»
(eg ministries, armed forces, courts)
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Sovereignty
«Sovereignty» refers to the:
«premise that each state has complete authority & is
the ultimate source of law within its own boundaries.»

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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.»
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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:
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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».
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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».
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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
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THE NATION
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).

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Unlike the state its definition is not based on legal
or structural-functional premises, but instead on
powerful psychological and emotional association.
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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).
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The Nation-State (1)

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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 rarely overlap and national rivalries as to who
has possession of which territory can be a cause of
violent conflict.
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The Nation-State (2)
State
Nation
Nation-State
14

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.
15
Caricature by V. Kremlev depicting the demands of Scottish nationalists for their own state & independence
16
from the UK. Available at http://rt.com/in-vision/cartoon/ayes-looking-scottish-independence/
THE
POLITICAL SYSTEM


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.
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
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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)
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
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»
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Authority

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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
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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.
22
Easton’s Conceptualization of the
Political System
Extrasocietal Environment
Intrasocietal Environment
Political
Economic
Economic
Social
Social
Ecological
Demands
INPUTS
Supports
Political
System
CONVE
RSION
OUTPUTS
Ecological Other
Other
* Modelled on Danziger’s Figure 5.1, p.127
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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»
 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»

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