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WHEN IS THE STATE AUTONOMOUS? CULTURAL, ORGANIZATION

THEORY AND THE POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY OF THE STATE.

BRUCE G.CARRUTHERS

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY, MARCH 1994

1. What is state autonomy? Is it necessary for the state?

State autonomy implies an independence of decision making and implementation such

that the state enacts policy in the general interest of society, capitalist class or in its own

interest. The three approaches of state autonomy are the group affiliation approach, which

considers the social characteristics of the individuals who works in an organisation; the

structural dependence approach, which considers the structural position of the

organisation within a network of resource flows; and third, the cultural approach, whichconsiders the role of ideology in the determination of organisational autonomy.

State autonomy is necessary for the state in time of crisis, so that the general interest of

capital are not sacrificed to the interest of fractions of the capitalist class. A state without

autonomy is obligated to someone else. Without some autonomy, government policy

would be corrupted to favour the particular interests of merchants rather than the general

interest of society.

2. What is state agency (a.k.a state bureaucracy)

State bureaucracy is an appropriate unit of analysis in the question of autonomy. It is also

defined as the collective organizational structure, procedures, protocols and set of

regulations in place to manage activity, usually in large organizations and government.

State bureaucracy also can be described as the internal structure of the state that enactedthe state policy by considering the implications of autonomy for specific organisations.

3. What is the difference between state autonomy and autonomy of state agency?

State autonomy will suggests that state actors or agencies can formulate and act on policies of their own design without having these policies directly dictated to them by the

influence or interests of groups.

Autonomy of state agency is the implementation of the policies made by the body thatgoverned the state agency. Autonomy of state agency means that the state agency have

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_structure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulations


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_structure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actions



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management



power in controlling and administrating their organization, hence this agency will refer to

higher authority for any further reference and power that they don’t obtained.

5. Public policy and autonomy are synonym. Why?

Public policy defined by Thomas R. Dye as “what government do, why they do it and

what different it makes”.

According to Harold Laswell , public policy can be defined as a projected programme og

goals values and practices . Finally James Anderson defined it as a purpose cause of action followed by a actor or set of actors dealing with the problem or matter of concern.

Basically, the three can be defined as follows:-

Public policy is a process of decision making by the government in the effort to

overcome problems or issues relating to the public regardless wether it will happen or not

in the furture.

Autonomy is authority that individual, organization or state has to administer or control

internal affair which it has interest in it. According to Adam Smith it means the power or the ability of the state to make decision relating to decision making which focuses to the

benefit of it ‘s public. However Poulantzas sees it in the scope of capitalism and Skocpol

sees it as the ability of the government to construct the policy for the benefit of it public.

Therefore we can say Public policy and autonomy are synonym in the sense that

Legislative, Executive and Judiciary of a state has the power and authority to overcome problems or issues rise in the society.

6. Analyze the substance and variations of each approach to the understanding of

state autonomy?

According to Group Affiliation approach, it implies that the links between the treasury

and the upper class were the most important determinant of autonomy. The upper classthat dominating the organizations might have an influence over the policy making and

thus, the organizations will possess lack of autonomy.

According to Structural Dependence approach, external group may be able to control the

organizational behavior. Those groups will provide resources that the organization

requires and thus will gain power over the organization. As a consequence, the

organization will possess low degree of autonomy. The extent of power will bedetermined by the importance of the resources, the number of alternatives resource, the

uncertainty of supply and the existence of resource dependencies in the other direction.

According to Cultural approach, it determines the symbols and the representations that

people use to justify, describe or make sense of their lives and situations. In organization,

culture will lie in the conceptual framework that constrains organizational perceptions, in

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9. The cultural approach-explain what is culture, the role of organizational theory

and ideology/leadership in the determination of organizational autonomy. How do

cultural goals affect structural dependency (i.e. resource dependency)

Culture is the symbols and representations that people use to justify, describe or make

sense of their lives and situations. It determines the cognitive frameworks people tointerpret their world. It shapes their self identity which includes who people are and what

they desire. It includes processes through which such goals and perceptions are

constituted and enacted.

For organizations, the importance of culture lies in the conceptual frameworks that

constrain organizational perceptions, in the goals and self definition of the organization

and its members, and in organizational legitimacy. With regard to leadership which

shapes the culture of an organization, it will embody particular values and develops self protective ideologies. Organizational self image is one way in which such values are

expressed.

According to this approach, the autonomy depends on its position on a continuum that

ranges from the passive reproduction of external cultural forms to the innovation and

authoritative promulgation of new forms. Organization will possess high degree of autonomy if it has privileged relationship to particular realm.

How do cultural goals affect structural dependency?

Culture shapes organizational goals and identity and thus it affects structural dependency

since structural dependencies derive from resource flows whereby the resource dependson what its goals are.

10. Give example of cultural legitimacy of state agency.

The Brirish treasury determined the deflationary policies of the 1930s. It defined the set

of legitimate alternative and elaborated the obligation of the treasury. The necessity to

balance the budget was the basis for treasury control over spending programs. Culturallythe treasury was acting in high level of autonomy in diagnosing the economic problems,

and both inside and outside government has to comply with the policy until the end of the

decade.

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11. Assess the degree of treasury autonomy (no agency is completely autonomous

due to organizations are constrained by their environment) in relation to their

economic policy pursuit.

UK Treasury economic policy pursuit

In UK Treasury, since the Treasury is extremely powerful over the spending department

and officials and also political ministers, there is no so much influences over the policymaking. Therefore, their economy policy pursuit is much more adherence to Treasure

View, rather than pressure from other external groups. Treasury dictated a highly

orthodox economic policy, until it was superseded by Keynesian Economics.

Policies made by UK Treasury

Free Trade

↓

International gold system

↓

Balanced budgets system

↓

Keynesian ideas

US Treasury economic policy pursuit

In US Treasury, since the Treasury is very weak with regard to its position in the

government, most of their economy pursuits are influenced by the Presidency, political

groups, businessmen and bankers. There was no authoritative Treasure View to interpreteconomic reality and recommends solutions, so the Treasury tried various possibilities.

There were many disagreements with regard to the policy making between the Treasury

and the others groups, and sometimes the Presidency overruled the decision or ideals bythe Treasury favouring the other groups. Goals of group represented were also changing

and those changing take into account for changes in policy. The different fractions of the

upper class in Treasury officials also produced difference in policy.

Example of disagreement between Treasury and the other group which comes to the

interference by the President. Roosevelt chose to increase spending rather than balancing

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the budget or cutting taxes even though Treasury led Morgenthau insisting balanced

budget but lost out to the proponents of deficit spending.

Policies made by US Treasury

Hoover’s Treasury, Andrew Mellon

↓

Hoover’s Reconstruction Finance Corporation

↓

Glass-Stegall Act (1932)

↓

Roosevelt administration, Henry Morgenthau, George Warren

↓

Departure from gold standard

↓

Dollars used to purchase gold

↓

Dollars used to purchase silver (Pittman Silver Purchase Act 1934)

↓

Dismantling of NRA

↓

Deficit finance (Keynesianism)

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