POLI 359 Chapter 2: States and Regimes

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 359
• Professor: Pablo Policzer

Document Summary

A state is defined as an entity that tries to hold a monopoly on violence over a controlled territory. Complete control of power (by means of armies to deter external threats and police to deter internal threats) ensures that the state can defend its sovereignty (enforcing own laws, establishing rights, controlling citizens). People view the state as legitimate, and thus states are not easily changed even through times of war and revolution. People trust that the state is responsible for running institutions to meet basic needs of the people: law, health care, property rights, transportation, environment, etc. This bundle of institutions is important in bolstering economic development and the rise of democracy. A regime is defined as the set of norms regarding how power is used in a state. The long-term goals that guide how the state should deal with individual freedoms and collective equality.