Success and Failure in

Nation-Building

Why do some societies achieve great success in

creating a modern nation-state whereas others don’t?

• The notion of political order or stability. With no instability or violence.

• The notion of change and upheaval.

• Anything that resembles the democratic regimes of Western Europe or the United States.

• Requires the erection of a communist regime.

BLACK’S DEFINITION:

• Policy making has become consolidated and routine.

• Regular means of replacing political leadership.

• Recognition of the citizen’s interest from the political leaders.

• There exists an active machinery of the state.

What is it that accounts for the success of some society

and failure of others?

TIME!

The principal obstacle lies not in the realm of time but in the system of economic interdependence among advanced and developing nation-states.

Wallerstein’s World-System

Involves core, peripheral and

semi-peripheral countries.

Core countries control and benefitfrom the global market. They areusually recognized as wealthy nationswith a wide variety of resources andare in a favorable location comparedto other states.

Are the industrializing, mostlycapitalist countries which arepositioned between the periphery andcore countries.

Are less developed than the semi-periphery and core countries. Thesecountries usually receive adisproportionately small share ofglobal wealth. They have weak stateinstitutions and are dependent ondeveloped countries.

What is a WORLD-SYSTEM?

The dominant ones receive

greater share of material and

symbolic tribute in the

world.

A system in which its foundations lie in a

world economy that had its origins in capitalist

agriculture.

The network of ties is evident in specific forms of

economic trade, political relations and social

exchanges that flow from one country to another.

There exist a social division of labor in which

those individual from each interdepending

countries perform different functions.

World-economyThe heart of world-system

Constituents may change in the degree of their importance to the system hence their stratification.

Why have some societies been less successful in

establishing the qualities of a modern nation-

states?

They have occupied subordinate positions in the modern world-

system/world economy.

What are the network and hierarchy of

relations that relegate some countries to the top position and others

to mere followers?

J.A Hobson: Imperialism

• He explained how the Western Europe established economic dominance.

• Capitalism in Europe had worked through the direction of the government to control territories that is essential to its success.

Important Distinctions

Imperialism

• Imperialism is described where a foreign government governs a territory without significant settlement.

• exercising power over the conquered regions either through sovereignty or indirect mechanisms of control.

Colonialism

• A term used to describe the settlement of places like India, New Zealand and Brazil, which were all controlled by the Europeans.

• one can see great movement of people to the new territory and living as permanent settlers.

Harry Magdoff: a new form of imperialism arose with the end

of WWII in which the United States came to replace England

as the major figure of economic and political strength.

Some uncertainties of nation-states:

• Effort of leaders to submerge ties of commitment to social groups of the nation-state.

• Tensions and conflicts between the nation-state and the MNC’s and TNC’s.

END…