What is state

What is state in sociology?

1. What is State? It is a compulsory political organization with a centralized government that maintains a monopoly of the legitimate use of force within a certain geographical territory . States may be as sovereign if they are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Other states are subject to external sovereignty or hegemony where ultimate sovereignty lies in another state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union. A federated state is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation Such states differ from sovereign states in that they have transferred a portion of their sovereign powers to a federal government .

2. Two Categories "liberal" or "conservative" theories - which treat capitalism as a given, and then concentrate on the function of states in capitalist society. These theories tend to see the state as a neutral entity separated from society and the economy . Marxist theories - see politics as intimately tied in with economic relations, and emphasize the relation between economic power and political power. They see the state as a partisan instrument that primarily serves the interests of the upper class

3. Characteristics of the State A state is an organized political community acting under a government. States differ in sovereignty, governance, geography, and interests.

4. What is Government? The word government derives, ultimately, from the Greek verb [ kubernáo ] (meaning to steer with gubernaculum (rudder), the metaphorical sense being attested in Plato's Ship of State ). A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, often a state. It is the political control of a country of people by a governing body, that has as its purpose the provider ship of greater organized forms for sake of the people, including law, law enforcement, a military, education, civil engineering, scientific research, and industry . Michel Foucault: government is the “conduct of conduct,” the way some seek to act upon the conduct of others to change or channel that conduct in a certain direction Government implies that there are relations of power between rulers and ruled, but the context of rule is not limited to the state .

5. Forms of government Autocracy is a system of government in which supreme power is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for the implicit threat of a coup d'état or mass insurrection ) 1. D espotism - ruled by a single entity with absolute power, whose decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regular mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for implicit threat). 2. Monarchy - is where a family or group of families (rarely another type of group), called the royalty, represents national identity, with power traditionally assigned to one of its individuals, called the monarch, who mostly rule kingdoms. Aristocracy (Greek aristokratía , from aristos "excellent", and kratos "power") is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class.

6. Forms of government Democracy In a general sense, in a democracy, all the people of a state or polity are involved in making decisions about its affairs. Also refer to the rule by a government chosen by election where most of the populace are enfranchised. The key distinction between a democracy and other forms of constitutional government is usually taken to be that the right to vote is not limited by a person's wealth or race (the main qualification for enfranchisement is usually having reached a certain age ). Republics A republic is a form of government in which the country is considered a "public matter" (Latin: res publica ), not the private concern or property of the rulers, and where offices of states are subsequently directly or indirectly elected or appointed rather than inherited. The people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people.

7. Scope of government Rule by authoritarian governments is identified in societies where a specific set of people possess the authority of the state in a republic or union. It is a political system controlled by unelected rulers who usually permit some degree of individual freedom. Rule by a totalitarian government is characterized by a highly centralized and coercive authority that regulates nearly every aspect of public and private life . In contrast, a constitutional republic is rule by a government whose powers are limited by law or a formal constitution, and chosen by a vote amongst at least some sections of the populace (Ancient Sparta was in its own terms a republic, though most inhabitants were disenfranchised). Republics that exclude sections of the populace from participation will typically claim to represent all citizens (by defining people without the vote as "non-citizens"). Examples include the United States, South Africa, India, etc . Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant (Latin: foedus , covenant) with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces). Federalism is a system based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments, creating what is often called a federation. Proponents are often called federalists.

8. Economic Systems Historically, most political systems originated as socioeconomic ideologies. Experience with those movements in power and the strong ties they may have to particular forms of government can cause them to be considered as forms of government in themselves.

9. What is Authority? It is a concept whose development is most often associated with the German sociologist Max Weber who saw it as a particular form of power. Authority is defined and supported by the norms of a social system and generally accepted as legitimate by those who participate in it . identified and distinguished three types of legitimate domination ( Herrschaft in German, which generally means 'domination' or 'rule'), that have sometimes been rendered in English translation as types of authority, because domination is not seen as a political concept in the first place. Weber defined domination (authority) as the chance of commands being obeyed by a specifiable group of people. Most forms of authority are not attached to individuals, but rather to a social position, or status, that they occupy in a social system . Examples: We tend to obey the orders of police officers, for example, not because of who they are as individuals, but because we accept their right to have power over us in certain situations and we assume others will support that right should we choose to challenge it.

10. Different Types of Authority Traditional Legal – rational Charismatic

11. Traditional Power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns . which derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures. When power passes from one generation to another, then it is known as traditional authority. The right of hereditary monarchs to rule furnishes an obvious example. The Tudor dynasty in England and the ruling families of Mewar , in Rajasthan (India) are some examples of traditional authority . How? Inheritance – are granted traditional authority because they are the children or other relatives of people who already exercise traditional authority. R eligious : their societies believe they are anointed by God or the gods, depending on the society’s religious beliefs, to lead their society.

12. Legal – rational Power legitimized derives from law and is based on a belief in the legitimacy of a society’s laws and rules and in the right of leaders to act under these rules to make decisions and set policy. This form of authority is a hallmark of modern democracies, where power is given to people elected by voters, and the rules for wielding that power are usually set forth in a constitution, a charter, or another written document. It is that form of authority which depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down and are often very complex. The power of the rational legal authority is mentioned in the constitution. Modern societies depend on legal-rational authority. Government officials wield this type of authority in most countries of the world. Bureaucracies are the result of this type of authority.

13. Charismatic stems from an individual’s extraordinary personal qualities and from that individual’s hold over followers because of these qualities. Such charismatic individuals may exercise authority over a whole society or only a specific group within a larger society. Joan of Arc, Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus Christ, Muhammad, NT Rama Rao and Buddha . the charisma of the individual plays an important role, which is derived from "the gift of grace" or when the leader claims that his authority is derived from a "higher power" or "inspiration", that is superior to both the validity of traditional and rational-legal authority and followers accept this and are willing to follow this higher or inspired authority, in the place of the authority that they have hitherto been following. Weber emphasized that charismatic authority in its pure form (i.e., when authority resides in someone solely because of the person’s charisma and not because the person also has traditional or rational-legal authority ) Weber recognized that charismatic authority ultimately becomes more stable when it is evolves into traditional or rational-legal authority. Transformation into traditional authority can happen when charismatic leaders’ authority becomes accepted as residing in their bloodlines.