People and Politics Worldwide

I.  The Idea of State

Magstadt (37) _a community with a single government operating within recognized territorial boundaries_

a corporate entity with it_s own interests whose power and presence is greater than the sum of its parts

Huntington _ central role of the state _ to maintain order (or prevent disorder)

Not the way we usually think about it in US _ why??

Can you think of a few states where it is a problem??

II.  Economic Models and Political Systems

market economy vs. command economy

What_s the difference?

Is ours a purely laissez-faire economy?
In what ways does the American state structure our economy?

Middle ground:  Welfare states _ what are they?

Is the US a welfare state?

III.  Politics and Development

The idea of progress _ a Western and explicitly modern idea

Development _the increasing capacity to make rational use of natural and human resources for human ends_ (56)

Cold War system of classifying states as First World, Second World, Third World

IV.  Political Economy

Viewing politics and economics as two sides of the same coin

Admitting that politics is significantly shaped by economics

Global patterns:
North-South disparities in wealth;
economic decline in the developing world;
unequal distribution of wealth within developing nations.

Dependency Theory

Questions:
What is relationship between politics and economics? Politics and culture?
Culture and Economics?

 What is the proper role of the state in economics?  Is the answer different for developing countries and developed countries?