| ID | 101743 |
| Title Proper | State failure' in theory and practice |
| Other Title Information | the idea of the state and the contradictions of state formation |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Eriksen, Stein Sundstol |
| Publication | 2011. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article provides a critique of the discourse of 'failed states', and outlines an alternative approach. It is argued that by taking the model of the modern state for granted, and by analysing all states in terms of their degree of correspondence with or deviation from this ideal, this discourse does not help us understand the nature of the states in question, or the processes that lead to strong or weak states. Instead, the idea of the state should be treated as a category of practice and not as a category of analysis. Post-colonial state formation could then be analysed by focusing on the inter-relationship between the idea of the state and actual state practices, and on the ways that states have become linked to domestic society on the one hand and their relations with the external world on the other. |
| `In' analytical Note | Review of International Studies Vol. 37, No. 1; Jan 2011: p229-247 |
| Journal Source | Review of International Studies Vol. 37, No. 1; Jan 2011: p229-247 |
| Key Words | State Failure ; State ; State Theory ; State Formation ; Failed States |