Strong Societies and Weak States: State-Society Relations and State Capabilities in the Third World.

• Author: Garzon, Lyra Porras
• Position: Book Review

STRONG SOCIETIES AND WEAK STATES: STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS AND STATE CAPABILITIES IN THE THIRD WORLD Joel Migdal (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1988), 296 pages.

In this work, Joel Migdal critiques the idea that the state is the ultimate unit of analysis in international affairs. The success of a small number of states vis-a-vis the failure of others, according to Migdal, is a function of a state's resources, as well as the ability of a state's leaders to garner public support for its policies. Thus, the relationship between state and society is characterized by a constant struggle for the acceptance of social control and the regulation of citizen behavior.

In this context, Migdal argues that a state's strength...