Summary

These notes cover various aspects of comparative government, including state formation theories, nationalism, and the resource curse.

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State formation; Why is there a state? What states do- By Tilly “War making and state making as organized crime” War making- eliminating or neutralizing their own rivals outside the territories in which they have clear and continuous priority as wielders of force State making- Elim...

State formation; Why is there a state? What states do- By Tilly “War making and state making as organized crime” War making- eliminating or neutralizing their own rivals outside the territories in which they have clear and continuous priority as wielders of force State making- Eliminating or neutralizing their own rivals within those territories Protection- Eliminating or neutralizing the enemies of their clients Extraction- raising taxes enough to have enough money to fund a strong military and war making Mancur Olson’s Key Concepts Time horizon of autocrats Public Order as Public Good- everyone benefits from public order Monopoly rent (extraction) and “encompassing interest” Economic Productivity Roving Bandits versus Stationary Bandits (Mancur Olson) They are similarly “greedy” but autocrats with longer time horizons (=Stationary bandits) extract less from people Stationary bandits offer public order- not out of benevolence but out of greed. They protect peasants from roving bandits Monopoly Rent and Productivity An autocrat thinks about how to extract as much as possible from the people (=his monopoly rent). He realizes that excessive taxation will actually reduce the amount he can extract. He can extract more when he also offers people incentives to produce more (bottom of p.569) Encompassing interests and rulers Rulers who have long-term encompassing interests will be careful not to extract from people (=redistribute to themselves) too much. Because if they do, they gain less in the long-run Such rulers are likely to invest An interesting comparison of autocratic and democratic leaders Mancur Olson and Charles Tilly They are similar in their rejection of “the Social Contract Theory” of State Formation. Olson’s stationary bandits = Tilly’s protection rackets. Olson’s monopoly of rent=Tilly’s monopoly of means of violence Olson talked about how stationary bandits would try to maximize their tax extraction. He did not talk much about the use of the tax revenue. Tilly focuses much more on why taxation is necessary and why taxation is not easy. From Modern States to Nation-States From the late-1980s, the nature of the modern state began to change. States became the political units for people belonging to the same nation. The sameness, the same history and the same destiny. Often the emphasis was also on the same religion, same language, etc. The major push for the rise of nationalism came from having a strong conscripted army. National identify is a political construct Political leaders create a national narrative/story The government began to make schooling compulsory and controlled the curriculum History education is crucial for building a nation. You mold the minds of the children—the future citizens of the nation state. Good and evil; Inclusive and Exclusive nationalism Benefits of nationalism: the idea of citizens’ entitlements and solidarity among the people the emergence of a welfare state Evils of nationalism; War. ‘Us vs Them’ Ethno-nationalism, in particular, thrives on the “us versus them.” The rise of this kind of nationalism led Europe on the path to World War II Civic nationalism is a more inclusive type of nationalism where the “belonging” is defined more based on sharing of the universal values 11/4/24 Missed last lecture The resource curse: Resources, Democracy and economic development What is the resource curse? Oil rich countries in the Middle East have very high GDP per capita, but have they become democratic? No Different types of resource curse “Curse” on democracy(today topic) “Curse” on economic development “Curse” on civil war Huntington and Islam Huntington's third wave of democratization says islam is not compatible with democracy. Michael Ross’s Question Many scholars believe that Oil is preventing the Middle East from becoming democratic Ross asks “Is it really an Oil problem? Does religion and colonial past really matter?” *Micheal Ross’s findings** Rentier effect- Can be broken down into three effects which are Taxation, spending effects and no bourgeoisie. ○ “Rentier State” is a state that receives significant substantial rents from “foreign individuals, concerns or governments” Repression effect- Repression becomes cheaper for the ruler. Modernization effect- Resource wealth does not help modernize the society (No need to invest in human capital or develop specialists. Ross’s method He tests the statistical effect of the “resource richness” on political regime characteristics (more or less democratic) He distinguishes between different resources (oil vs minerals) He also “tests” whether there is evidence for the causal mechanisms through which he thinks the negative effects of resources impact the regime type Testing the three casual mechanisms Rentier effect ○ Taxation effect (% of corporate and personal taxes/ total tax revenue ○ Spending effect (% of government consumption/ GDP ○ Bourgeoisie effect (% of government spending/GDP) ○ Repression Effect: (% of military spending/GDP) ○ Modernization Effect: (% of men & women enrolled in secondary schools/corresponding age cohorts) Ross’s findings Pt.2 Ross finds that oil has a much worse effect compared to mineral resources Mineral resources are associated with repression but less Rentier effect Statistical support for the three mechanisms Understanding the resource curses Why are extractive resources different from other resources such as agriculture? Why have some countries NOT suffered from their resource abundance—such as Norway, the UK and the US? Critical Thinking Ross’s idea of a “Repression Effect” is similar to Acemoglu and Robinson’s argument. (Ross wrote this theory before A&R wrote their book) What other authors are relevant in understanding the absence of democracy in the middle east? What did Lustick say? How does “No bourgeoise, No Democracy” work out in the Middle East Case study Diamonds in Sierra Leone A big exporter of diamond, gold, and other precious metals. Instead of being a wealthy country, it’s a poor country plagued with internal conflicts (i.e. civil wars from 1991-2002). Tens of thousands of deaths & displacements. Sierra Leone lost one third of its population. Fukayama Why do some states develop high quality democracies while others do not? Answer: ○ Corruption ○ Public servants demanding money in exchange for services ○ Politicians misusing public money ○ Bribing officials Main argument ○ In countries where modern state failed to develop, quality of democracy would suffer Builds upon Tilly ○ War makes state, state makes war Modern state ○ AKA Weberian state, (meritocratic bureaucracy) (Advancement is based upon merit, like performance) SAYS THAT HISTORICAL SEQUENCE MATTERS ○ If democracy arrives before emergence of meritocratic bureaucracy, public sector could be raided by clientelism Clientelism= public servants provide jobs and stuff in exchange for support ○ Clientelism is not good for democracy Thinks that if democracy arrives before meritocratic bureaucracy, ○ Ruling party may seize government resources for mobilization of political support Politicians can give jobs to only those who support him ○ More likelihood of clientelism OTHER WAY AROUND: WHEN MODERN STATE EMERGES BEFORE DEMOCRACY ○ Politicians cannot distribute jobs and stuff to supporters because there's already established rules on how to give jobs to people Fukayama uses examples of four countries ○ Italy High patronage and corruption Modern state had not developed before democracy arrived Therefore, Tilly’s war making process did not get carried out and delays arrival of a modern state SAME FOR USA AND GREECE ○ GERMANY/ PRUSSIA Prime example of Tilly, war makes state and state makes war Meritocratic bureaucracy was there prior to democracy ROSS: Does oil hinder democracy? Resource curse Remember lipset's modernization theory: ○ Higher economic development, higher chance of democratization Resource curse: ○ When rising countries are dependent on natural resources, it has a negative impact on democracy Rentier effect ○ The rentier effect refers to the economic and political consequences that arise when a country or state derives a significant portion of its wealth from external rents—payments or income that come from the exploitation of natural resources, foreign aid, or other forms of external revenue, rather than from productive economic activities like manufacturing or innovation. Dependence on External Income: Rentier states derive substantial income from rents—payments for the use of their natural resources (such as oil, gas, or minerals) or from foreign aid, remittances, or investments. Weakened Taxation System: Since governments in rentier states do not need to rely on taxes from citizens (because external rents provide a steady stream of revenue), there is often less incentive for governments to develop efficient, broad-based tax systems. This can weaken the state's relationship with its citizens and reduce accountability. No bourgeois effect The repression effect refers to the political and social consequences that arise when a government uses coercive means to suppress dissent, limit political opposition, or control its population. It involves the use of force, intimidation, surveillance, censorship, or other repressive measures to limit civil liberties, restrict freedoms, and prevent challenges to the regime’s authority. the modernization effect refers to the political, social, and economic changes that occur as a country or society undergoes modernization—a process in which traditional or agrarian societies transition toward more industrialized, urbanized, and economically developed structures. This concept suggests that as societies modernize, they undergo significant transformations that affect not only the economy but also political institutions, social relations, and culture. Finds that oil has a negative effect Olson: roving bandits and stationary bandits Lustick: why have there been no great powers in the middle east Historical sequencing

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