Dd101_Tma07

Examine and assess the idea that the authority of the state to govern is always contested. The state can be thought of in many terms. Some might say ‘the government’; some might say different institutions such as their school or hospital. The state is less solid and more complex than this. In order to examine and assess the idea that the authority of the state to govern is always being contested this essay will look at various pieces of evidence to argue both sides of this claim. The German sociologist Max Weber defined the state as “An organisation that successfully claims a monopoly of the legitimate use of force in a given territory”, (Blakely & Saward, 2009, Pg 361). The organisation or political party voted into Downing Street are given political legitimacy by achieving the majority, monopoly, of the UK vote. In effect, this party is given the authority to govern by the majority of voters. It can be said however that this is always contested as there are hundreds GET BETTER GRADES of thousands of voters that will vote to elect an opposing party. The purpose of this essay is to examine other evidence that shows this challenge to the authority of the state and assess the idea that this challenge is always there in various forms. Political theorist John Hoffman counter argues Weber’s theory, he argues that the state cannot claim a monopoly of the legitimate use of force as this is simply not possible. This claim on monopoly is continually contested by ‘competitors’, i.e. criminals, terrorists, etc. If this claim was indeed true, Hoffman argues that there would no need for a governing state as everyone would act peacefully and regard all laws as legitimate, (Blakely & Saward, 2009, Pg 373). The first piece of evidence that will be looked at is that of Jill’s story. Now as Blakely and Saward point out on page 352 of Exploring Social Lives, 2009. Jill’s story is a typical one. The everyday activities of work, dropping her child at nursery. Her interaction with... Critically examine the claim by states to be the legitimate governing authority in a territory. The state is a set of organisations and practices that aims to prevent social chaos and make social order within a defined territory. The state establishes who might legitimately claim to exercise authority over many aspects of society from churches to parents and is therefore a subject of great interest and importance to social scientists. For the state to govern its territory it needs to have legitimate authority, which means it needs the consent of those being governed. Authority is an important resource for the state and any other organisation seeking to govern peoples conduct. Authority enables organisations and social actors that form parts of the state to direct aspects of social life and to intervene to direct particular people or improve particular conditions. The relationship between the state and its territory is not pre-given but rather is a product of constant claims and the authority of the state has to be created and sustained. Drawing on evidence from social scientists, this essay will look at how states claim authority and legitimacy and critically examine whether the authority of a state to govern is contested. Page 02 Firstly, the large scale, complexity and vast variety of functions carried out by the state makes it a difficult thing to grasp and define. If we were to take the state as a set of organisations it is apparent that the state today is a far more complex and much larger set of organisations and practices than it was only one hundred years ago. It has been argued that prior to the First and Second World War most adult citizens in England would not have had much contact with the state ‘beyond the post office and policeman’ (A.J.P. Taylor, 1975, p. 25 cited in... In this essay my aim is to examine and assess the different ways that states claim legitimacy. First let us examine two of the ways we can define states: The state is an idea based on shared expectations about the ordering of social life, a set of organisations and a set of practices. Secondly, the state is a mixture of complex organisations and practices such as the The National Health Service, the Police, Hospitals, Local Councils, Tax Offices, Post Offices and the Citizens Advice Bureau. In 1918 the German sociologist Max Weber defined the state as “ an organisation that successfully claims a monopoly of the legitimate use of force in a given territory‘” (Weber,1991[1921], p. 78 ) States today do more than fifty years ago and they are busy in terms of regulating and solving problems and functioning on a multiple level. Christopher Hood (1982) a political scientist has argued that the bodies making up the state are a “formless mass” because states nowadays are so large and complex it is almost impossible to describe their importance and beyond their importance also their many functions. In the UK, after Privatization, a large amount of state run industries and or services were transferred to private ownership. For example the utilities such as gas, electricity and water and transport services are now run by private companies. In order to examine the complex purposes and responsibilities of the state let us use the example of a hospital. Not only is there the building to maintain, there is the equipment, for .e.g. life support machines, MRI machines, X ray equipment. Most of these machines are provided by the state. There are also all the national health service workers: doctors, nurses, radiologists, and all the support staff such as administrators, receptionists and cleaners all of whom are paid by the state and perform a myriad of functions designed to support the health of the nation. When we think of the state we think of something solid... JOIN NOW FOR FREE