Strong States, Weak States
POWER AND ACCOMMODATION
Two
Images of the State
It has been a
generation since decolonization abruptly transformed the world map. But we
still do not have a very clear picture of the relationship between politics and
social change in former colonies, let
alone effective
theories to explain why things are as they are. An odd duality, or even
contradiction, has marked the social science literature. One portrait gleaned
from scholarly works has set politics – especially the state – at center stage,
kneading society into new forms and shapes, adapting it to the exigencies
created by industrialization or other stimuli. This is the image of the strong
state. A second perspective portrays the state as nearly hapless in the swirl
of dizzying social changes that have overtaken these societies, changes largely
independent of any impetus from the state itself. Some scholars view the dynamics
of these changes within the country’s borders while others see these
uncontrollable forces coming from large powers and the world economy. In both
instances, the image
is of a weak state. The
word “state” itself, ironically, at first did not figure prominently in either
of these two images. In fact, it has become an almost commonplace criticism in
recent years that the state was a neglected variable in theories of social and
political change for most of the postwar era.1
That criticism, however, may
be somewhat overstated. In third-world
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