BEYOND THE MINIMAL STATE: SKETCHING AN ALTERNATIVE AGENDA
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Date
2012
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PONTIFICIA UNIV CATOLICA CHILE, INST CIENCIA POLITICA
Abstract
The minimal definition of the state is too restrictive for a research agenda around state and stateness, as it fails to encompass the complexity of contemporary state action. As an alternative, I suggest using a broader definition, which considers the plurality of the state's components, functions and means. This conceptualization might give rise to a definition that has the advantage of portraying states in their complexity, with the flexibility necessary to embrace their diversity. This could be the base for a parallel research agenda that would favor national cases divided into sub-national cases on the basis of functional variety in state scope, instead of comparing all the countries in the region at once.
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Keywords
Minimal State, Neoliberalism, State Definition, Post-Weberian Approach, State Complexity