Theories of the State

by Andrew Vincent

The idea of the State is crucial to our understanding of 20th century political thought and practice, and there are now signs of a growing awareness of the interest and intrinsic importance of the State in political theory, international politics and jurisprudence. This book provides an overview of certain key problems and theories of the State, presenting them in a structured and systematic manner, and in doing so it aims to make the ideas and value of the State more comprehensible to the student of politics. An introductory discussion on the nature of the State is followed by chapters devoted to particular theories: the absolutist, constitutional, ethical, class and pluralist, with the aim of analysing, elucidating and criticizing each. Finally, the discussion turns to the question 'Is a theory of the State necessary?'

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[John Hess · Rating 1 out of 5]

A monumental waste of time. The chapter on absolutism had some interesting tidbits, but the author has an inexplicable fixation on Hegel that is never fully explicated and his consideration of the Marxist theory of the state (or rather, the lack thereof) sidesteps some of the most interesting contributions. Tedious, boring, and ultimately useless.