Pol100 Week 2: The Nation-State and Globalization PDF

POL 100 – Week 2 The Nation-State and Globalization  2 Concepts Politics has its own terminology and concepts Concept: general idea emerging from events or instances; general notions or abstract ideas that are encapsulated in a specialized...

POL 100 – Week 2 The Nation-State and Globalization  2 Concepts Politics has its own terminology and concepts Concept: general idea emerging from events or instances; general notions or abstract ideas that are encapsulated in a specialized vocabulary Concepts help us establish consistency in political analysis But concepts are often not universally agreed upon There are no ‘laws’ in politics  3 Key concepts in this lecture Power Authority *Closely linked Legitimacy The state/nation-state Nation Sovereignty Nationalism Citizenship Globalization  #5 Power Power is: a) the ability to achieve an objective, b) by influencing the behaviour of others. The resources that give individuals and groups the potential to exert political power are unequally distributed.  #6 Power cont’d Political power can be exerted in different ways. Through coercion, which involves using fear or threats of harmful consequences to achieve an outcome. Through inducements, which involves achieving an outcome by offering a reward or bribe. Through persuasion, which may involve the use of truthful information to encourage people to act in accordance with their own interests, or the use of misleading information to manipulate people.  #6 Authority and Legitimacy Authority - the right to exercise power that is accepted by those being governed as legitimate. Authority = Legitimate Power Legitimacy – ‘lawful, appropriate, proper, and conforming to the standards of a political system’  7 Understanding Power, Authority and Legitimacy Power Legitimate Illegitimate ✔ Authority No authority  8 Three Types of Authority Traditional: passed down through generations Rational-legal: based on rules and norms Charismatic: special qualities of the individual  #9 The State/Nation-State A state is an independent, self-governing political community whose governing institutions have the capability to make rules that are binding on the population within a particular territory. The state is not the same thing as the government, which is a set of institutions (including politicians) that makes decisions and oversees their implementation on behalf of the state for a particular period of time.  #4 The State in Modern Society In addition to their traditional functions (i.e. providing law, order, security), modern states are very active in the economy, in health and social welfare, and the environment. Generally, government spending as a share of the total economy is higher in wealthy countries than in poorer countries, although there are some exceptions to this pattern.  #11 The Nation-State Modern states are often referred to as nation-states, in that they are sovereign states based on people living in a country who share a sense of being a member of a particular nation. In reality, however, many states are not based on a single nation. Whether Canada is a nation-state is both a definitional argument and a political dispute of great historical and contemporary significance.  #12 Elements of a Nation-State Four elements of a nation state in political science and international law. To be considered a state, must have - 1. Defined territory. 2. Permanent population. 3. Government. 4. Recognised internationally.  #5 Sovereignty The sovereignty of states has two basic related dimensions. 1. States claim to be the highest authority for their population and their territory. 2. States are not subject to any external authority. However, at times, various elements of the international community have intervened in sovereign states to protect human rights. In the case of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.  #14 Today’s States Most of the modern world’s population and territory are divided among the individual states of the world. The number of sovereign states has grown substantially in the past seventy years. United Nations membership: 1945 = 51; 2013 = 193. From China with 1.35 billion inhabitants to Tuvalu and its 12,000 inhabitants.  #15 Today’s States cont’d In some countries, called failed states, governments cannot enforce laws, maintain order, protect the lives of citizens, or provide basic services (e.g. Somalia). In addition, control of some territory is contested or its future is uncertain (e.g. Israel and the occupied territories; India, Pakistan and Kashmir).  #10 National Identity There are many countries where a great number of people view themselves as having a different national identity. A national identity can be based on common characteristics such as ethnicity, language, culture, and religion. Even in Western Europe, where the idea of the nation-state originated, there are countries that could be considered binational or multinational.  17 Identity What is your identity? Think of what influences you in your life: family, religion, geography, language, culture, etc. Something of a paradox: Individual identity makes us unique or different Group identity ties us to others  #18 Difference between ‘Nation’ and ‘Nation- State’? *Important distinction* A nation is a group of people who have a sense of common identity (shared ethnicity, language, culture etc) and who typically believe they should be self-governing within their homeland (a people, eg. Quebecois) A nation-state is a sovereign political unit (a country, eg. Canada)  #12 Nationalism Nationalism is based on the view that the nation- state is the best form of political community and that a nation should have its own self-governing state. Distinction between two types of nationalism. Ethnic nationalism views common ancestry along with common cultural traditions and language associated with a particular group as the basis for a nation-state. Civic nationalism views shared political values and political history as a the basis for a nation-state.  #13 Citizenship Connected to the development of the modern nation-state is the idea of citizenship – that a country’s permanent residents are full members of the political community with certain duties and rights. There has been increasing discussion about whether members of certain groups should have different citizenship rights because of their particular circumstances (e.g. Aboriginal First Nations in Canada).  #14 Globalization Globalization is often described in terms of the processes that are, in effect, shrinking the world. There are various circumstances, including government policies, that can accelerate, slow down, or even reverse globalization. The increasing interconnectedness of the world has been experienced most dramatically in the economic, political and cultural realms.  #15 Globalization and the State Although states remain strong, some assert that globalization is eroding their power, by: shifting power upward towards global institutions (e.g. World Trade Organization) increasing the reach of global markets and the power of global corporations stimulating separatist movements reducing people’s sense of identification with the nation-state as the proportion of multiple identities increases.  23 Recap – key concepts Power Authority *Closely linked Legitimacy The state/nation-state Nation Sovereignty Nationalism Citizenship Globalization