The State: Its Nature, Development and Prospects - Hardcover

Poggi, Gianfranco

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0745605710 ISBN 13: 9780745605715

Publisher: Polity Press, 1990

Synopsis

This book offers an interpretation of the modern state, concentrating particularly on the emergence and nature of democracy. Poggi presents a conceptual portrait of the state, distinguishing its early characteristics from those which have developed subsequently and are apparent in contemporary states. He reviews the "historical career" of the state, from the dissolution of feudal forms of rule to the advent of modern, liberal-democratic systems. Poggi also discusses the nature of liberal-democratic regimes, and the distinctive features of the Soviet one-party system. The final chapter discusses the challenges set to the state by contemporary developments in military affairs, in the international economy, and in the ecological sphere.

About this title

Review:

"It is an excellent time for the appearance of such a book. On the one hand, the collapse of the Soviet Empire suggests that at least some of the rival models to the Liberal Democratic State have been tested to destruction. On the other hand, the development of transnational orders, such as the European Community, may in turn suggest that the old state has had its day and that perhaps more diffuse forms of political organization of social power will in due course emerge. However that may be, Poggi's book is a brilliant commentary on and analysis of the state of affairs of which we are inheritors. How far it will point the way to further developments remains to be seen."
--Neil MacCormick
, University of Edinburgh

From the Back Cover:

The state is the most massive and significant modern expression of the broader phenomenon of political power. This book offers a fresh, accessible and original interpretation of the modern state, concentrating particularly on the emergence and nature of democracy.

Poggi presents an extensive conceptual portrait of the state, distinguishing its early characteristics from those which have developed subsequently and are apparent in contemporary states. He reviews the 'historical career' of the state, from the dissolution of feudal forms of rule to the advent of modern, liberal-democratic systems.

Poggi also discusses the most significant developments occurring in our times concerning the nature of liberal-democratic regimes: these developments emphasize the growth and diversification of state action, and the resulting disconnection between policy and politics. Poggi considers the distinctive features of one-party systems, and discusses why these systems encountered these difficulties in promoting advanced industrial development. The final chapter discusses the challenges set to the state by contemporary developments in military affairs, in the international economy and in the ecological sphere.

About this edition

• Publisher: Polity Press
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0745605710
• ISBN 13: 9780745605715
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220