States Nations and Globalization
State is taken from the Latin stare (to stand) which means, a political community that occupies
a definite territory; having an organized government with the authority to make and enforce
laws without the consent of a higher authority. It is also defined as a self-governing political
entity.
Elements of a State: People, Territory,
Sovereignty, Government
1. People - also known as population or inhabitants.
2. Territory - refers to the portion of the earth which composed of aerial (air space above),
fluvial (waters around and connecting the islands of the archipelago) and the
terrestrial (landmass) domains.
Maritime terms:
a. Territorial Sea - coastal states have sovereignty, including exclusive fishing rights
(12 nautical miles)
b. Contiguous zone- coastal state can enforce its customs, immigration, and
sanitation laws and exercise “hot pursuit” out of its territorial
waters (24 nautical miles) .
c. Exclusive Economic Zone - state has recognized rights to explore, exploit, conserve,
and manage the natural resources (200 nautical miles).
d. Continental Shelf - countries have exclusive rights to natural resources up to 350
nm.
e. High Seas - beyond EEZ - “common heritage of humankind.”
3. Sovereignty - refers to supreme and absolute power within its territorial boundaries.
Types of Sovereignty
1. Internal is the power of the state to rule within its territory
2. External is the freedom of the state to carry out its activities without subjection to
or control by other states.
Characteristics of Sovereignty
1. Sovereignty is absolute from the legal point of view.
2. Sovereignty is permanent
3. Sovereignty of the state is universal
4. Sovereignty is inalienable
5. Sovereignty cannot be divided between or shared by a plurality
6. Sovereignty is exclusive
4. Government – refers to the institution or agency or instrumentalities through which the
State maintains social order, provide public services, and enforces binding
decisions.
International recognition, e.g. by the UN
Forms of Government
 Distribution of Power
 Citizen Participation
 Legitimacy
1. Distribution of Power
a. Unitary government power is held by one central authority. Example:
Philippines, Denmark, Italy, Finland Peru.
b. Confederation it is a voluntary association of independent states that often only
delegate a few powers to the central government. Weak or
loose organization of states agrees to follow a powerful central
government.
Examples: The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) formerly
known as the Soviet Union, Switzerland’s canton system.
c. Federal government power is divided between one central and several
regional authorities. Example: Malaysia, USA, Nigeria, Australia
2. Citizen Participation
a. Autocracy. Form of government wherein one person possesses unlimited power.
The citizen has limited, if any, role in government. The leader is from a family or from
a social class or from a strong party. In addition, Monarchy is a government in which
a supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or
territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be wither a sole
absolute ruler or a sovereign – such a king, queen, or prince – with constitutionally
limited authority.
Form of Autocratic Government
1. Absolute or Totalitarian Dictatorship.
The ideas of a single leader glorified. Government tries to control all aspects
of social and economic life. Moreover, the government is not responsible to
the people. Thus, the people lack the power to limit their rulers. Examples:
Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin.
2. Absolute Monarchy.
The king, queen, or emperor exercises the supreme and unlimited powers of
government wherein the position is usually inherited. Absolute monarch rules
by divine right are rare today but from the 1400s to the 1700s they rule most
of Western Europe. Example: King of Saudi Arabia. The counterpart of
 absolute monarchy is limited monarchy wherein the ruler has a limited power
as mandated by the constitution.
b. Oligarchy. It is the government by the few. Sometimes a small group exercises
control, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. The group gets its power from
military power, social power, wealth, religion or a combination. In here, the citizen has
a very limited role. Thus, political opposition is usually suppressed-sometimes
violently. Example: Communist countries such as China, Leaders in the party and
armed forces control government.
Note: Autocracy and oligarchy sometimes claim they rule for the people but
in reality, the people have very little say in both types of
government. They may hold elections which only one candidate or control the
results in various ways. Moreover, even when the government have a
legislature or national assembly, they often only approve decisions made by
the leaders.
c. Democracy. It is a government based on the consent of the governed. The people are the
sovereign, thud, they hold the highest political authority. Citizens have freedom
to criticize their leaders because they are the one who elected them in the
position. People have high a degree of participation in every government
processes.
Democracy has two forms: Indirect democracy or representative
democracy is a form of democratic government wherein the people
directly elect their leaders who will govern them and perform
governmental functions; and Direct democracy is a form of government
wherein the people will convene in a mass assembly and directly
formulate an expressed the will of the state .
3. Legitimacy
1. De jure
It is a form of government wherein it has the peoples support and possess
constitutional mandate. Therefore, it is a legitimate government.
2. De facto
It is a form of government supported by the people but no constitutional mandate or
legal support.
Executive and Legislative Relationship
1. Presidential – a form of government in which executive branch exists separately from
the legislature. The president is constitutionally independent from the legislature
because they are elected directly by the people.
2. Parliamentary – a form of government in which members of an executive branch (the
cabinet and its leader - a prime minister are nominated to their positions by a
legislature or parliament, and are directly responsible to it)
An Independent State
 Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries.
 Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
 Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates
foreign trade and domestic trade and issues money.
 Has the power of social engineering, such as education
 Has a transportation system for moving goods or services.
 Has a government which provided public services and police power.
 Has sovereignty. No other state should have the power over the country’s
territory.
 Has external recognition. A country has been “voted into the club” by other
countries.
Origins of the State
1. Evolution Theory – States evolved from family units. The families grew into a large
extended family that heads of the family served as a government. Eventually evolved
into tribal councils with a hierarchy of authority.
2. Force Theory - Governments, emerged when people were brought under the control
of some power. States emerged from the conquest of other families or tribes.
3. Divine Right - Belief that kings are chosen to rule the Ancient state by a deity examples
include Egyptians and Aztecs.
4. Social Contract - It existed during the 17th Century and the Age of Enlightenment.
People begin to challenge the monarchy and the idea of Divine Right.
Concept of Nation
 Nation (Anderson 1991, Poggi 2008) is the social construction of a collective identity.
It is an imagined political community that is imagined as both inherently limited and
sovereign.
 It is also defined as a group of people who share the same territory, geography,
language, customs and sometimes religion.
Distinction between the State and Nation (Murali,
et.al. 2005)

State Nation

Exited not only at present but also in the

Modern phenomenon.
ancient period.

It is legal political. It is racial cultural.

People organized for law within a People psychologically joined together with
definite territory. common will to live together.

People continue as a nation even if they do not

A state must be sovereign.
remain sovereign.

Inhabited by heterogeneous groups of

people Inhabited by homogenous groups of people.

Concept of Globalization
Globalization also known as global industrialism is a process of forging international political,
economic, religious, and socio-cultural interconnections. The concept of sovereign nation-
states is increasingly being challenged by globalization.