State, Sovereignty and the Nation
Core concepts
The state is a political association claiming a monopoly of legitimate coercion over a territory. The classic four elements are population, territory, government and sovereignty. Distinguish the state from government (the current office-holders), nation (a community sharing identity, often language, culture or history) and civil society. A nation-state fuses the two; many states are multinational.
Sovereignty
- Legal/formal sovereignty: supreme legal authority internally and independence externally.
- Internal sovereignty: final authority within the territory.
- External sovereignty: recognition and non-subordination to other states.
- Popular sovereignty: authority ultimately rests with the people.
- De facto vs de jure: effective control versus lawful title.
- Pluralist and globalisation critiques: sovereignty is shared with supranational bodies, markets and international law.
Theories of the state
Liberal, Marxist (instrumental and structural), elitist, pluralist, and feminist accounts each explain who controls the state. Know the difference between monistic (single supreme authority) and pluralist (divided) sovereignty claims.
Traps
Do not confuse nation with state; a nation need not have a state and a state may contain many nations. Do not treat sovereignty as unlimited in practice: membership of international organisations and treaty obligations qualify it without extinguishing it. 'Popular sovereignty' describes the source of authority, not a legal organ.
Rule of thumb
When a question says 'supreme and final authority', think sovereignty; when it says 'a people with common identity', think nation; when it says 'the ruling body', think government.
Worked example: A state whose government has lost effective control of part of its territory may retain de jure sovereignty while losing de facto control.