Strong vs. Weak States- Reading PDF

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Dr. Holley E. Hansen...

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Strong vs. Weak States: Reading O’Neil pages 46-58

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Vocabulary  Legitimacy- a value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as right and proper, thus giving it authority and power  Traditional legitimacy- legitimacy that accepts aspects of politics because they have been institutionalized over a long period of time  Charismatic legitimacy- legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual leader  Rational-legal legitimacy- legitimacy based on a system of laws and procedures that are highly institutionalized  Federalism- a system in which significant state powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security, are devoted to regional or local bodies  Asymmetric federalism- when power is divided unevenly between regional bodies; for example, some regions are given greater power over taxation or language rights than others- a more likely outcome in a country with significant ethnic divisions  Unitary state- a state in which most political power exists at a national level, with limited local authority  Devolution- a process in which political power is ‘sent down’ to lower levels of state and government  Strong states- a state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy  Weak states- a state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy  Failed states- a state so weak that its political structures collapse, leading to anarchy and violence  Capacity- the ability of a state to wield power to carry out basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy  Autonomy- the ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public Comparing State Power  States quickly eradicated every other form of political organization; not all states are the same Legitimacy  Widely recognized by public; confers authority and power  Assume state has authority over us  Relies not on coercion but consent  Does not depend on freedom or equality  Comes from: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal  Traditional- it’s always been there; rituals and ceremonies  Charismatic- based off the power of ideas or beliefs; Jesus & Muhammad- examples of charismatic figures & Hitler; commonly dies with individual who possesses it  Rational-legal- based on system of laws and procedures; offices one hold more important than who you are  Charismatic- Kim Jong II & Kim Jong Un, Gandhi, Mandela Centralization of Decentralization  Federalism doesn’t have to be uniformed  Asymmetric- power divided unevenly

Strong vs. Weak States: Reading O’Neil pages 46-58

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 Unitary- power at national level Power, Autonomy, & Capacity  Strong vs. weak  Armed rivals to a state may control a large portion of territory or economy  Unstable political environment  Weak states: not institutionalized, lack authority and legitimacy  Failed states like Iraq (2005) are usually backed by international force  Capacity vs. autonomy o Capacity- requires money, organization, legitimacy, effective leadership o Autonomy- related to sovereignty; if a state wants to carry out policy, it can do so without consulting public o High autonomy- act based on public; o Low autonomy- private individuals/groups o High capacity and high autonomy- China (new rail roads, roads…) o High capacity and low autonomy- US & Canada individual freedom high o Low capacity and high autonomy- few limits, lack ability to realize policy- Russia Pakistan  Quality of education and healthcare low, corruption high, unresponsive judicial system, military unaccountable  Large number of terrorist deaths  Osama bin Laden- did Pakistan’s military shelter him?  Weak central authority = no control over violence  Leaders want power for own interests  Support terrorist attacks in India  Unclear who has control of nuclear weapons  Both India and Pakistan faced same issues in beginning  Weak state, regime, and government left military powerful and unaccountable 10 Reasons Countries Fall Apart 1. North Korea- lack of property rights 2. Uzbekistan- forced labor 3. South Africa- a titled playing field 4. Egypt- the big men getting greedy 5. Austria & Russia- elites block new technologies 6. Somalia- no law and order 7. Colombia- a weak central government 8. Peru- bad public service 9. Bolivia- political exploitation 10. Sierra Leone- fighting over the spoils...