Debates about the role and nature of the state are at the heart of modern politics. However,
the state itself remains notoriously difficult to define, and the term is subject to a range of …

The state is the most massive and significant modern expression of the broader
phenomenon of political power. This book offers a fresh, accessible and original …

The study of politics has long concentrated on the state as a sovereign authority; as 'a set of
institutions with a dedicated personnel', which wields 'a monopoly of authoritative rule …

The state has always been difficult to define. Its boundary with society appears elusive,
porous, and mobile. I argue that this elusiveness should not be overcome by sharper …

The essays in this book trace the development of Joel Migdal's" state-in-society" approach.
The essays situate the approach within the classic literature in political science, sociology …

For there is a real sense in which the problems of politics are perennial.... Nothing is today
more greatly needed than clarity upon ancient notions. Sovereignty, liberty, authority …

Comparative work on the state, in terms of both new cases and general theoretical
frameworks, has proliferated in the last decade. In this new work, traditional categories of …

economic sociology, reveals important dimensions of state–society relations that can rarely
be fully grasped by means of the traditional state–society dichotomy. This emerging work …

The state is central to social scientific and historical inquiry today, reflecting its importance in
domestic and international affairs. States kill, coerce, fight, torture, and incarcerate, yet they …

After a relatively fallow period in the 1990s, the general form and functions of states are once
again returning to the top of the agenda, both theoretically and practically. This is particularly …