POLS 242 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Douglass North, Foregone Conclusion, Institutional Revolutionary Party

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Political Studies
• Course: POLS 242
• Professor: Yakub Halabi

Document Summary

First time sovereign states emerge, now separate from the church, no longer overlapping authorities. State capacity: ability of the state to achieve its objectives (creates stability) State that cannot or does not perform its expected functions (lack of state capacity) Well function states are fairly autonomous but responsive to civil society. A. k. a. (cid:862)(cid:271)elli(cid:272)ist(cid:863) theory (cid:862)war (cid:373)ade the state(cid:863) (charles tilly: for states to emerge, several factors needed: Ability to tax population to raise revenue (citizens want to be protected & will be pay for taxes if state can provide this) Ability to mobilize population for collective projects: wars served all these purposes and led to rise of states, war= independent variable, state system/tax=dependent variable, taxes could be intervening variable, economic theories. It was not foregone conclusion that everywhere would end up with states. State strong = because it is able to enforce rule of law, beaurcracy. Strong- citizens have those associations w/institutions & unions.