Chapter 2

State

(1) the organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a given territory; (2) a set of political institutions to generate and execute policy regarding freedom and equality

In which of the following ways does a government built primarily on charismatic legitimacy differ from one based on traditional legitimacy?

Charismatic legitimacy would likely be much shorter-lived.

Which of the following statements about the development and spread of the modern state is accurate?

Many states were able to use ethnicity as a nationalizing force even as people began to define themselves less through characteristics like religion or town of residence.

Which of the following can be said about the concept of a regime?

The differences between regimes are most likely to be unwritten and informal, though they can appear in written constitutions.

Government can be defined as:

the leadership that runs the state.

Devolution

a process in which political power is "sent down" to lower levels of state and government

Unitary state

a state in which most political power exists at the national level, with limited local authority

Failed state

a state so weak that its political structures collapse, leading to anarchy and violence

Weak state

a state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

Strong state

a state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

Federalism

a system in which significant state powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security, are devolved to regional or local bodies

Legitimacy

a value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as right and proper, thus giving it authority and power

Capacity can be defined as the:

ability of the state to wield power in order to carry out the basic tasks of providing security and reconciling freedom and equality.

Political scientists, based on the work of Max Weber, define the state as:

an organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory.

The shorthand term for the combination of regime, state, and government is:

country

Thomas Hobbes believed that people gave up their rights to the coercive power of the state in order to:

escape anarchy.

The United States is a good example of a state with:

high capacity but low autonomy.

Rational-legal legitimacy

legitimacy based on a system of laws and procedures that are highly institutionalized

Charismatic legitimacy

legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual leader

Traditional legitimacy

legitimacy that accepts aspects of politics because they have been institutionalized over a long period of time

An institution that is recognized and accepted as right and proper by the public is seen as:

legitimate

Modern states are built primarily on what form of legitimacy?

rational-legal

Sovereignty is defined as the ability of:

states to carry out actions or policies within a territory independent of external actors or internal rivals.

Country

term used to refer to state, government, regime, and the people who live within that political system

Sovereignty

the ability of a state to carry out actions or policies within a territory independently from external actors or internal rivals

Autonomy

the ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public

Capacity

the ability of the state to wield power to carry out basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

The emergence of the modern state is closely tied to which of the following specific developments?

the collapse of the Roman Empire

Regime

the fundamental rules and norms of politics, embodying long-term goals regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where power should reside, and the use of that power

Government

the leadership or elite in charge of running the state

Which of the following lists Max Weber's three forms of political legitimacy?

traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal

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

Autonomy can be defined as the ability of the state to:

wield power independent of the public or international actors.