Why can’t the state live without the population? Why is it not beneficial for the state to have a financially educated population? How to stimulate fertility

Questions and tasks

1. What is the political system of society? Describe the essence of the state as an integral part of the political system of society.

A political system is an integral set of interacting institutions that exercise political power.

The political system of society includes states, parties, trade unions, organizations and movements pursuing political goals. The church also plays a certain role in the political development of society.

The state exists along with other political organizations: parties, trade unions, etc. In other words, the state is the central, but not the only institution of the political system of society. The state has the right to officially represent society as a whole, issue normative acts, including laws binding on all members of society, and administer justice. The state acts as a force capable of exercising coercion against any member of society. These characteristics distinguish the state from other organizations, for example, the mayor's office, a political party or a trade union, which have characteristics similar to those of the state, but do not have others.

2. * Why is the state not an integral part of the social or economic sphere of society?

To answer this question, we should remember what the social and economic spheres of society are.

The social sphere of society covers classes, social strata, nations, taken in their relations and interactions with each other.

The economic sphere includes four main activities: production, distribution, exchange and consumption. It includes not only firms, enterprises, factories, banks, markets, but also flows of money and investment, capital turnover, etc.

The state is not an integral part of the social or economic sphere of society, because the state is the political organization of a given country, including a certain type of regime of power (monarchy, republic), bodies and structure of government (government, parliament). That is, the state is separated from society, it is only an organization of supreme power. It can only participate in the social and economic spheres of society, and not be part of them. The state is part of the political system of society.

3. What reasons led to the emergence and strengthening of the state?

Reasons for the emergence of the state:

1. Population density. In primitive times, small groups of people of 40-60 people scattered across large areas in search of food. To feed this group of people, several hundred kilometers are needed. Regular clashes between them, frequent famines and the unification of some groups with others to protect their territory become inevitable. The conquest of some peoples by others was a consequence of the accelerated formation of military alliances of tribes in one place or another. globe. Soon all the people entered into alliances.

2. Under the influence or threat from outside. Some scientists believe that people were driven to create a state by fear of external aggression, fear for life and property. The reason was also the danger from criminals and robbers within society. And the state could use force and establish order. It, as an arbitrator, could objectively resolve all disputes and issue laws common to all. Already in Antiquity, the state began to be understood as an organization of power that rises above society, but is controlled by it and serves it.

3. Strength factor. The need to wage wars (both defensive and aggressive), protection of territory, merchants.

The same reasons lead to the strengthening of the state.

4. Describe the general features of the state.

General characteristics of the state:

1. A single territory delineated by state borders recognized by other states.

2. A unified system of territorial management, including an extensive apparatus of government officials and based on the principle of separation of powers.

3. A unified system of laws, fixed in the Constitution, observed by all citizens throughout the territory.

4. Monopoly on the legal use of force or physical coercion, based on the army, police, security service, court, and prosecutor's office.

5. The right to levy taxes without maintaining numerous employees and financing public policy: defense, economic, social.

6. Mandatory membership in the state – citizenship. A person receives citizenship from the moment of birth.

7. Representation on behalf of the company in international organizations, negotiations, etc.

8. Sovereignty, i.e. supreme power over a certain territory. There are many types of power in society, but the state should have the highest, its decisions are binding on all citizens. Only he has the right to make laws.

Sovereign power, extending over all or most of the country's territory, is one of the most important features of the state.

5. * Compare the features of the state with the features of society described in the first chapter. What similarities can be found between them? How are they different?

6. What is the function of the state? Why are they divided into internal or external? Can you give examples of both?

The functions of the state are the main directions of its activities, expressing the essence and purpose of the state in society. The functions of the state are established depending on the main tasks facing the state at a particular stage of its development.

Functions of the state:

1. Internal: protection of the existing mode of production, economic and social system; suppression of class opponents (in societies divided into classes with opposing interests); participation in economic management; maintaining public order and maintaining discipline; regulation of social relations; cultural, educational, ideological activities, etc.

2. External: protecting the interests of a given state in its relations with other states in the international arena, ensuring the country’s defense, developing normal relations with other states, mutually beneficial cooperation with it based on the principles of peaceful coexistence.

7. What is the role of violence in the structure of the state?

According to modern theories, the sipa factor played a major role in the emergence of the state. We can say that unification into a state is a way to get protection from outside violence. The state provides the population with a service of protection from external and internal threats. Also, force serves as a way to expand the territory of the state (the empire of Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire), which leads to an increase in collected taxes and taxes, and an increase natural resources required by the state.

8. * Why is violence called legal when applied to the state?

A state is a political organization of a given country, including a certain type of regime of power (monarchy, republic), bodies and structure of government (government, parliament). In the occupied territories, a group of people establishes their power. Accordingly, to maintain order in a given territory, this group of people uses military force, eliminates competitors in collecting taxes. Over time, the monopoly on the use of force is written into the laws of the state.

Violence is considered legal if it is enshrined in the constitution of the state. And it really is written there: in a given territory, only special bodies authorized by the state, in particular the police and the army, have the right to use physical violence. The situations when it is used are strictly specified.

9. How is the state monopoly expressed? List all types of state monopoly.

State monopoly is a monopoly created in accordance with legislation defining the product boundaries of the monopoly market, the subject of the monopoly (monopolist), the forms of control and regulation of its activities, as well as the competence of the regulatory body.

There can be many types of monopolies and depend on the specific state and period of history.

The main types of state monopoly are:

1. Fiscal monopoly (full or partial monopoly of the state on the production and sale of certain goods (alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, salt, matches, beer) in order to increase state budget revenues through this.).

2. Monopoly on freedom of speech.

3. Monopoly on legal violence;

The state monopoly on a certain type of activity is determined by the laws of that state.

10. * Think about which monopolies the state cannot do without. Justify your opinion.

The state cannot do without a monopoly on violence and a fiscal monopoly. With the help of relevant structures (police, army), order is maintained in the country. On the one hand, there is the protection of citizens from criminal elements of society, on the other hand, the state uses violence to protect its interests both within the country (the right to power) and outside it (defends its sovereignty).

Also, the state cannot do without a fiscal monopoly (like collecting taxes), since with the help of taxes the state implements social programs, maintains the army, pays salaries, benefits, pensions, etc.

Problem. Will humanity ever be able to manage without a state in the future and how? Does an “ideal state” exist and what is it like?

If humanity can manage without a state in the future, it must meet certain criteria. Firstly, the high personal responsibility of each person to other people and to himself. Secondly, society must take over the functions that were previously performed by the state. For example, maintaining order within society itself. People will also have to independently take care of the most vulnerable members of society - the disabled, orphans, and the elderly. Society will have collective responsibility for everything that happens in a society without a state. And the main thing that needs to happen is that people must overcome their weaknesses and vices so that humanity can do without a state.

Perhaps an “ideal state” is a state in which everyone is equal, there is no poverty, there are no criminals, laws are enforced, taxes are spent properly. The “ideal state” is a goal to which we should strive. In other words, this is a fair state. However, in order to build such a state, people will also have to overcome their vices and weaknesses. However, there are no ideal people.

Workshop. Which of the following types of monopolies does not belong to the state?

1. Monopoly on legal violence.

2. Monopoly to establish political organizations.

3. Monopoly on freedom of speech.

4. Monopoly on production activities.

5. Monopoly on securities.

6. Monopoly on customs duties.

Justify your answer.

It cannot be argued that some of the monopolies may belong to the state and others not. There are many examples in history when certain types of monopoly belonged only to the state.

Today, the state does not have a monopoly on the establishment of political parties. The monopoly on production activities belongs to the state partially (depending on the type of activity and the state). The monopoly on freedom in some countries is not the prerogative of the state (the USA); in other countries there is severe censorship (the USSR can serve as a striking example).

President of the Institute national project“Social Contract”, head of the department of applied institutional economics at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, Alexander Auzan, is trying to find at least some problem that requires the state to solve.

Try to translate Russian word"state" into other languages, such as English. It is unlikely that you will succeed. After all, a “state” is not a “state”, because a “state” is a kind of territorial entity. It's not "government" because "government" is "government". It's not "authority" because "authority" is "power". The state is everything at once. This gives rise to a powerful distortion in Russian public consciousness. Ask any person a question: - What can bureaucracy do? - Oh, they can’t do anything! - What can the government do? - Yes, they are just engaged in some kind of showdown there! - What can the state do? - The state can do everything! - What should the state do? - The state must do everything! Because the state includes officials, the government, local administrations, and citizens of the country. And since it includes everyone, it must deal with everything. Starting from the level of language, there is a transmission of values ​​that do not allow one to understand the issue.

The state in Russia is sacralized.

But what if we pose the question in the most terrible way: is the state necessary at all? For two hundred years the answer was definitely: yes, the state is absolutely necessary - in order to build roads, print money, ensure order, otherwise who will do all this? For two hundred years, for economists, the state was actually a natural monopoly in the production of public goods. If public goods are needed, then the state is also needed. However, in recent decades this question has not had such an obvious answer. Douglas North, a remarkable institutional economist and Nobel laureate, once said: “On the question of the necessity of the state for the economy, the court retired to deliberate and has not yet returned.”

Why did the question suddenly become open, and not only for economics? The fact is that not only in Russian, but also in the world public consciousness there were many myths associated with the state. And at some point these myths began to be tested. For example, all the great English economists - David Ricardo, James Mill, John Maynard Keynes - gave the same example in favor of the state: if not for the government, who would build lighthouses in England? But the nation needs lighthouses - what would England be without shipping? And so another Nobel laureate, Ronald Coase, went to the archives of the British Admiralty and began to look at who actually built the lighthouses. It turned out that not a single lighthouse in England was built by the government. Whoever built them - captains' guilds, local communities, shipowner corporations, but not the government. Of course, then the lighthouses were transferred to the management of the Admiralty, because the entire system needed to be coordinated, but the construction itself was exclusively non-state. Coase wrote an article entitled “The Lighthouse in Economic Theory” and called it a day, without making any global conclusions. He simply showed that for two hundred years people have been starting from the wrong facts.

Another Nobel laureate, Friedrich von Hayek, checked how things were going with monetary systems. It turned out that, of course, different states at different times created their own treasury systems of monetary notes, but they all died. The banknotes we use now are so-called banknotes, that is, systems of private receipts between banks. They began to look at the police, the fire department, the army, and again there were mixed answers. Who created the modern criminal investigation system? The Pinkerton Agency in the USA is a private detective agency of the second half of the 19th century. Conan Doyle, of course, invented Sherlock Holmes, but it was at that time that it became clear that not only the state police could be involved in investigations. As for the fire department, it can be state-owned, it can be voluntary, that is, a civil organization, or it can be insurance, that is, in fact, originating from business. Private armies now exist on completely legal grounds in Russia - from Gazprom, from Rosneft. But there are also private armies that the law does not allow.

The conclusion that can be drawn from all this is this: if the state is needed, it is not for what it was previously thought to be for. The state has substitutes everywhere. Any issue that the state decides can be resolved without its participation. Moreover, there are many studies and examples that show how this is done in practice.

An amazing story happened in California in the 19th century. The annexation of this territory into the United States of America coincided with the discovery of gold there, and as a result of this coincidence, for 18 years the largest state of the United States lived without any government power at all. This is what happened there: the governor appointed from Washington arrived with federal troops; a week later he discovered that he had no soldiers - they ran away to wash the gold; He ruled like this for another week, without soldiers, and then he went to wash the gold himself. The federal government sent people to California three times, but then stopped - it’s also possible to pump the entire army at government expense into the gold mines. California lived in this regime from 1846 to 1864. But this was not some primitive society.

We know well from the documents how property issues were resolved there during this period, how people secured rights to plots, and how the trial took place. When it became clear to the residents of California that they needed protection of trade routes and accommodation Money, the state itself told Washington: send your governor, it’s already possible. But for almost 20 years California lived without a state - and that’s okay. There are a lot of similar examples in Russia - from Old Believer communities to vast territories that the central government simply cannot reach.

On a global scale, there are quite a few cases where people have managed and continue to do well without the state. The classic example is whaling. States could not regulate it: firstly, because everything happened in the oceans, and secondly, because the governments were simply very far from each other and were very different. And nothing - the whalers themselves developed a system of rules for their community: how to count who harpooned, who owns the prey, and the like. But there are also such things as the Internet - a cryptoanarchy that lives largely without government regulation. It has its own internal regulation, public goods are produced in the form of rules, and this is an extremely fruitful environment for the emergence of innovation, because it presupposes great amount schemes and options for solving various problems.

It is necessary to change the very formulation of the question: if the state is not necessary, then it should exist upon request - where it is comparatively more effective than others. This, in fact, is called a social contract or social contract. However, there are no firm formulas that allow us to resolve this issue in the same way for everyone. This will be a different demand in different periods and in different economies, and it is determined by the required amount of public goods. The more public goods you need, the more government you make. Let us compare, for example, the situation in Northern Europe and the United States.

In the Scandinavian countries there is a huge redistribution of taxes; there seems to be a lot of government there, but why is there a lot of it? Because the question “How much public goods do I need?” - the Scandinavians answered: “A lot.” This requires quite a lot of money, and it is easier to raise it through taxes than through donations or the lottery. But who will spend this budget money on the production of services is another question. Maybe they should be transferred to private companies or non-profit organizations, and they, not the state, will produce the services. For example, in the Netherlands, 17% of GDP is created by the non-profit sector, because it is the most efficient in providing budgetary social services. In Scandinavia and the Netherlands, the state is largely used as a tax collection machine - it does this more efficiently. But officials work ineffectively with disabled people and pensioners, so this money should be outsourced from them.

Things don't work that way for Americans. For many centuries they said: “I don’t need anything from the state except ensuring law and order. I am ready to pay small taxes so that there is law and order, and I will solve the rest of the problems - education, healthcare, etc. - myself.” This was the case before Barack Obama came along. The drama of the current situation in the United States is due to the fact that Obama is breaking the traditional social contract. He says, “Americans need more public goods.” And therefore, at first glance, there is not a very significant dispute about, for example, how broad and mandatory the system should be health insurance, is causing discussions throughout the country - there is a fundamental change in the view of what is needed from the state.

There is no purely liberal answer: a small state is good, a large state is bad. It is bad when the state does not meet the demand for public goods. Because then the coercion begins. After all, the state has exactly one competitive advantage: Max Weber wrote a hundred years ago that the state is an organization with a comparative advantage in the implementation of violence. Therefore, the state is good not because it takes care of people, but because it can coerce or threaten more effectively than anyone else. That is why his sister is the mafia. Organized crime is the state's closest competitor because it also specializes in the use of violence. Moreover, in the vast majority of cases, the state arose from organized crime. And only over time it was forced to enter into a certain contract with the population, and then the vertical social contract turned into a horizontal one, democratic regimes arose, various methods of control over the state, and so on.

According to neo-institutional theory, the state is derived from the model of the so-called “stationary bandit”. This was very convincingly proven both historically and mathematically by Mansur Olson and Martin McGuire using the example of China in the first half of the 20th century. From 1899, when the Boxer Rebellion began, until 1949, when the military confrontation between the Communists and the Kuomintang ended, the country lived in a state of continuous civil wars. For decades, military units roamed China - with generals but no governments. When a regiment captured a city, it usually plundered it completely, knowing that it would never return there. But then a certain military unit is locked in the city by competitors, and the soldiers realize that they will have to stay there. It is at this moment that the transition from the model of a touring bandit to a stationary bandit begins, who realizes that he will need to rob some territory regularly. And in order for this to be possible, it is necessary that people who are engaged in economic activities have some guarantees. Finding themselves in a situation of a locked county, the same predatory regiments are forced to create statehood - in order to withdraw their rent, they are forced to create public goods in the form of rules, law and order, courts.

The birth of Russian statehood, by the way, took place exactly according to this model - the Varangians acted as stationary bandits. However, it is not at all necessary to go so far into history for the sake of Russian examples; it is enough to recall the recent events in Chechnya. The second war there began with a conflict between a touring bandit named Shamil Basayev, who spoke about the need to advance to new territories, and the emerging stationary bandit - the President of Ichkeria Aslan Maskhadov, who said: federal troops will lock us up anyway, and we need to do something to make it possible to live here.

The Olson-McGuire theory also poses another question that is very interesting for modern Russia: how does the transition from the regime of a stationary bandit to more civilized forms of state occur? The whole history of Russian privatization in terms of the theory of institutional economics looks like this: interest groups close to the government or, in Russian, using administrative resources, divide assets. When everything has already been divided, they find themselves at a fork in the road. The first way is that they can seize assets from each other. But this is not at all the same as taking assets from the state or the population. This is war, it’s hard, it’s very expensive. The second way is to change the system of rules, and move from those rules that promote capture to rules that promote the efficient use of resources.

What happened in Russia in 1999-2003 and what should have happened in 2008 seems to me to be just such a fork in the road, when those who seized assets begin to think: in order to use them effectively, an autonomous judicial system is needed (because you need to somehow protect your property rights from new applicants), long-term rules (because you need to invest), protection of contracts. And all this, mind you, is needed by those people who grew up from a completely gangster situation. However, oligarchic groups in Russia behaved differently. If YUKOS and, for example, Alfa Group tried to present a demand for some new rules, then other groups cautiously remained in the old system, and it was clear that a conflict was inevitable. On the one hand, YUKOS carried out an absolutely fantastic operation: it was worth $500 million in 1999 and $32 billion in the summer of 2003, that is, it grew more than 60 times, and due to the transition to new rules, and not just due to rising oil prices . On the other hand, precisely because of these changes, he could no longer pay rent to officials in the previous way.

There is one caveat to the Olson-McGuir theory: the transition from one type of social contract to another occurs only if no new hungry groups appear. But in Russia in 2003-2004 such groups appeared, and they began a new redistribution. The redistribution ended in 2008, and the former hunger groups faced exactly the same question of establishing new rules. However, the crisis will cause another redistribution: seizing other people’s assets during stagnation is not interesting, it is necessary for the stagnation to come to an end - then the redistributions will end

Have you ever thought about how the government interacts with the population? Why do people even need it? Just to pay him taxes? In fact, the state does a lot for ordinary people. We simply don't notice it. One of the forms of interaction with the population is demographic policy. This is a huge part of the work of any state interested in its population increasing.

Subject of conversation

Demographic policy is a whole complex of measures. It is carried out with the goal of population growth. That is, this is a whole list of various activities that help increase the birth rate. Only people will have children on the condition that they can feed them. Consequently, demographic policy is closely related to other sectors of state activity. It is considered only in relation to them. The state's social policy is closely related to demographic policy. That is, to increase the population, the government is taking all kinds of measures aimed at supporting families. Thus, socio-demographic policy takes place. It includes decisions made by government agencies aimed at supporting those people who strive to increase the population. But all this is just part of demographic policy.

Mortality

No matter how much you worry about increasing the population, it is naturally decreasing. And it’s true, no one lives forever. Only the state cannot ignore this issue. It is necessary to create conditions for people to live longer. This is part of demographic policy. Programs are being adopted whose goal is to improve living conditions, medical care. That is, the demographic policy of countries as a whole affects not only the social sphere. After all, no matter how much benefits you pay, if a family is deprived of normal medical support, then it is difficult to raise children, especially healthy and active ones. This is the way of thinking in almost all states.

It's not enough to have large numbers people, they need to work for the good of the country. Ordinary people do not know exactly how this is achieved. At best, we are given statistical data. And behind them is the enormous work of the state to develop hospitals, medical centers and so on.

Economic conditions

The family and demographic policy of any country aims to create conditions for population growth. But think for yourself, will people give birth to children when they know for sure that they do not have the means to support them? This, of course, happens. Only the state is not interested in children appearing in dysfunctional families. He needs an educated and able-bodied population.

This is the direction in which it works. To achieve this, it encourages entrepreneurs to create jobs. After all, if there is a job, then there is a salary. Here you can already think about children. It turns out that the economic policy of the state is closely related to demographic policy. Although one cannot replace the other. Demographic and family policies are still aimed at the development of the population. And the economic one is for the growth of the state’s welfare. However, their goals overlap when it comes to family. It is for its stable existence and growth that the government and other bodies work.

How to stimulate fertility

Those who were preparing for the birth of a child were convinced from their own experience that the state is not asleep here either. It doesn't leave things to chance. After all, mommy needs special conditions to bear the fruit and take care of the new baby. You will say that women deal with their problems themselves. It's not like that at all. In this case, the demographic policy of the family comes into play. It lies in the fact that mommy receives all sorts of benefits. Namely, vacations, which, by the way, are paid. This is the job of the state. It enacts laws that allow women to calmly prepare for childbirth.

We consider vacation a natural thing. However, it should be remembered that sick leave before and after childbirth is not issued in many countries. Further, mommy has the right to ask the state for money in special cases. They will provide it, even minimally. It should be said here that in some European countries such benefits are gigantic by our standards. The population is older, no one wants to give birth. So the state has to come up with all sorts of incentives for its citizens. On the other hand, there are countries that have to pursue other goals. China, for example. There, on the contrary, they are fighting the birth rate.

Special programs

In order for women to want to give birth, a lot of things are done by the state. Entire institutions are researching the situation to understand what people lack and why they don’t have children. So, in Russia they found out that one of the reasons is the lack of housing. This is quite real problem. Many young families do not have the opportunity to acquire their own mansions. You have to live with your parents. What kind of children are there if there is no place for them to stay? The state cannot be happy with this state of affairs. It may be left without citizens.

Population policy Russian Federation directed in a different direction. The country needs people. Therefore, a program was invented and adopted, according to which families receive a certificate for a tidy sum.
This money can be spent on various needs. Including the construction and purchase of housing. By the way, most citizens spend their money on this. Two problems have been solved at once: the population is growing and even acquiring houses.

About the quality of the population

It has already been mentioned in passing that the state wants the people to be happy, able-bodied, well-mannered and educated. This is another big part of his policy. It is necessary to create conditions so that children can develop, and parents contribute to this. If you think that this is not so important for the state, then you are mistaken. Any country develops thanks to its citizens. And if the population only thinks about where to steal or how to get drunk, then the state will quickly fall into decay. He needs people to work, create new productions, give birth to ideas and implement them. Then the state develops and gets richer. The demographic policy of the Russian Federation is structured exactly this way. There is not enough money to give mothers for housing. We also need to build schools, open sports clubs, and encourage children to play sports. This is also part of demographic policy. The population must be developed and creative.

About disabled people

Part of the demographic policy is aimed at making people with disabilities feel comfortable. After all, they are citizens like everyone else. Conditions are created for them to receive education and realize their talents. It is no secret that people with disabilities are not very willing to be hired. The state stimulates entrepreneurs by creating benefits for them when employing such citizens.

Population migration

We are all talking about fertility, but this is not enough. Well, women give birth to children, the state will give them an education, and they will take it and go abroad. This is detrimental to the country. After all, it is mostly educated and creative people who leave. They are lured away with large salaries. The state is fighting this; it doesn’t need people to leave for other countries. This is done different ways. For example, there is an idea to force university graduates to work certain time to the country. It’s better to create conditions for specialists so that they themselves don’t strive for anything.

On the importance of propaganda

We are talking more and more about financial incentives. However, there is another side to demographic policy. People need to develop such an attitude towards family so that they respect and value it. This is what propaganda does. For example, the media pay attention to covering the lives of large families. One should not assume that they themselves decided so.

There is a program that encourages them to do this. In addition, educational institutions regularly hold events aimed at strengthening respect for the institution of family. All this is part of demographic policy. Do you go to holidays organized in your city? They do not always take place on the initiative of local authorities or activists. This is part of the state policy. The government sends a decree to places so that holidays are celebrated there and the family is sung. That's what they do.

Child protection

There is one more important question. As they say, any woman is capable of giving birth. But children need to be raised, cared for, and fed in the end. Unfortunately, there are women who do not want to fulfill their responsibilities. The state is taking measures to prevent this from happening. Namely, they created special bodies that monitor the fulfillment of their duties by mothers and fathers. If a woman drinks and goes out, employees of certain services come to her, check what’s wrong with the child, how he lives, and so on.

Then they try to hold her accountable. In extreme cases, the child is taken away. But the state is not interested in this. After all, everyone understands that children should grow up in a family. They are more comfortable there. There are bodies that monitor the performance of duties by teachers and doctors. In general, everyone who works with children. The younger generation needs a lot of things. He needs to be given knowledge, create conditions for a joyful and happy life. For this, people of certain professions receive money from the state. It naturally has the right to control their work. This is also a big part of demographic policy. It is all multifaceted and covers almost all areas of the state’s work.

The term "state" is usually used in two meanings. In a broad sense, the state is understood as a country, society, people, located on a certain territory, and represented by the highest authority. In this meaning, for example, they talk about French state, German, Japanese, Russian states. In ancient times, until approximately the 16th and 17th centuries, the state was usually interpreted broadly and was not separated from the society that it represents and organizes. Machiavelli was one of the first to distinguish between a broad and narrow understanding of the term “state”. Before him, a variety of more specific concepts were used to designate the state: principality, kingdom, republic, and so on. Machiavelli introduced into scientific circulation the special term “stato” to designate the state, regardless of its specific forms, as a special political organization of society.

In its narrow sense, the term “state” is an organization that has supreme power over a certain territory. Perhaps no more controversial issue in political and legal science than the question of the state, its nature, its role in public life.

In various historical periods, scientific thought tried to give its own definition of the state. There are many definitions of the concept of “state” and such a variety of views is explained primarily by the fact that the state itself is an extremely complex and historically changing phenomenon. The plurality of definitions of the concept of state cannot be disputed. Different definitions reflect different aspects of the state as a complex phenomenon.

All states of history and modernity have common features that distinguish the state from other political organizations of society, for example, political parties, political clubs, associations, and so on:

1. The state is a single territorial organization of political power throughout the country.

Territory is the spatial basis of the state, its physical, material support. It includes land, subsoil, airspace, continental shelf, and so on. Without territory, a state does not exist, although it can change over time, for example, decrease as a result of defeat in a war, or, conversely, increase in the process of expansion. The territory of the state is occupied by its population. Population is the human community living on the territory of a state. Population and people or nation are not identical concepts. A people or nation is a social group whose members have a sense of belonging due to common cultural traits and historical consciousness. The population of a state may consist of one people or be multinational. A person’s territorial affiliation is expressed in terms such as subject, citizen, stateless person, foreigner. The exercise of power on a territorial principle leads to the establishment of the spatial limits of the state - the state border - which separates one state from another. Thus, the state has territorial supremacy within its borders.

2. The state is a special organization of political public power that has a special apparatus or mechanism for managing society.

Political public power is the defining feature of the state. The term “power” means the ability to influence in the desired direction, to subordinate one’s will, to impose it on those under one’s control. Such relationships are established between the population and a special layer of people who govern it - they are otherwise called officials, bureaucrats, managers, the political elite, and so on. The power of the political elite is institutionalized, that is, it is exercised through bodies and institutions united in a single hierarchical system. The apparatus or mechanism of the state is the material expression of state power. The most important state bodies include legislative, executive, and judicial bodies, but a special place in the state apparatus has always been occupied by bodies that carry out coercive, including punitive functions - the army, police, gendarmerie, prisons and correctional labor institutions. A distinctive feature of state power from other types of power (political, party, family) is its publicity or universality, universality, the generally binding nature of its instructions.

Sign of publicity means, firstly, that the state is a special power that does not merge with society, but stands above it. Secondly, state power outwardly and officially represents the entire society. Universality of state power means its ability to resolve any issues affecting common interests. The stability of state power, its ability to make decisions and implement them, depends on its legitimacy. Legitimacy of power means, firstly, its legality, that is, establishment by means and methods that are recognized as fair, proper, legal, moral, secondly, its support by the population and, thirdly, its international recognition.

3. Only the state has the right to issue normative legal acts that are binding for everyone.

Without law and legislation, the state is unable to effectively lead society. Law allows the authorities to make their decisions generally binding on the population of the entire country in order to direct the behavior of the people in the right direction. Being the official representative of the entire society, the state, in necessary cases, demands legal norms with the help of special bodies - courts, administrations, and so on.

4. Only the state collects taxes and fees from the population.

Taxes– these are mandatory and gratuitous payments collected within a predetermined time frame in certain amounts. Taxes are necessary to maintain government bodies, law enforcement agencies, the army, to maintain the social sphere, to create reserves in case emergency situations and to perform other general affairs.

5. The state is a sovereign organization of power.

State sovereignty can be defined as a political and legal property of state power, expressing its independence from any other power within and outside the borders of the country and consisting in the right of the state to independently and freely decide its affairs. State sovereignty has two sides: internal and external. The internal side is expressed in the independence of state power from any other power within the country, independent organization state apparatus, publication and repeal of legal norms, and so on. The external side is expressed in the independent appearance of the state outside, in relations with other states. However, international law provides for cases of interference in domestic affairs from outside in certain situations.

State sovereignty as a feature or property of state power should be distinguished from popular sovereignty and national sovereignty. Popular sovereignty means the supremacy of the people, their right to determine their own destiny by their own will, shape the direction of the policy of their state, the composition of its bodies, control the activities of state power . Thus, popular sovereignty is the very content of democracy and the basis of democracy.

National sovereignty means the right of a nation to self-determination up to secession and formation of an independent state.

The considered features of a state have received universal recognition, however, some scientists, for example Vengerov, highlight such features of a state as the presence of a single language for communication on the territory of a particular state, the presence of a unified defense and foreign policy, transport, information, energy systems, and personal rights. According to Professor Kovalenko, these are not signs of a state. The signs of a state can only be those that distinguish it as a special political reality from other social phenomena. The essence of an object and phenomenon can be discovered only through essential signs. An essential feature can only be one that characterizes the nature of the phenomenon under consideration. In order to establish an essential feature, one should be guided by the position according to which there is an integral two-way dependence between a phenomenon and its essential feature, namely, the absence of the specified feature inevitably entails the absence of the phenomenon of which it is a sign. In turn, without a phenomenon such a sign cannot exist. For example, an essential feature of a person is consciousness, and it would be unreasonable to believe that a person without this essential feature could be a completely normal person, just as consciousness outside of a person is unthinkable. In the same way, there is no two-way and inalienable connection between language and the state, because language as a means of communication between people can exist without the state.

All scientists note that it is impossible to define the concept of a state that would reflect all the signs and properties of a state characteristic of all its periods in the past, present and future. At the same time, as world science has proven, any state has a set of universal characteristics that manifest themselves at all stages of its development. The same signs were defined above.

Summarizing them, we can formulate a definition of the concept of state. State- this is a unified political organization of society that extends its power over the entire territory of the country and its population, has a special administrative apparatus for this, issues mandatory orders for everyone and has sovereignty .

State - an organization of political power that governs society and ensures order and stability in it.

Main signs of the state are: the presence of a certain territory, sovereignty, a broad social base, a monopoly on legitimate violence, the right to collect taxes, the public nature of power, the presence of state symbols.

The state fulfills internal functions, among which are economic, stabilization, coordination, social, etc. There are also external functions, the most important of which are ensuring defense and establishing international cooperation.

By form of government states are divided into monarchies (constitutional and absolute) and republics (parliamentary, presidential and mixed). Depending on the forms government system There are unitary states, federations and confederations.

State

State - this is a special organization of political power that has a special apparatus (mechanism) for managing society to ensure its normal functioning.

IN historical In terms of plan, the state can be defined as a social organization that has ultimate power over all people living within the boundaries of a certain territory, and whose main goal is to solve common problems and ensure the common good while maintaining, first of all, order.

IN structural In terms of plan, the state appears as an extensive network of institutions and organizations representing three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial.

Government is sovereign, i.e. supreme, in relation to all organizations and individuals within the country, as well as independent, independent in relation to other states. State - official representative the entire society, all its members, called citizens.

Loans collected from the population and received from them are used to maintain the state apparatus of power.

The state is a universal organization, distinguished by a number of unparalleled attributes and characteristics.

Signs of the state

• Coercion - state coercion is primary and has priority over the right to coerce other entities within a given state and is carried out by specialized bodies in situations determined by law.
• Sovereignty - the state has the highest and unlimited power in relation to all individuals and organizations operating within its historical boundaries.
• Universality - the state acts on behalf of the entire society and extends its power to the entire territory.

Signs of the state are the territorial organization of the population, state sovereignty, tax collection, lawmaking. The state subjugates the entire population living in a certain territory, regardless of administrative-territorial division.

Attributes of the state

• Territory is defined by the boundaries separating the spheres of sovereignty of individual states.
• The population is the subjects of the state, over whom its power extends and under whose protection they are.
• The apparatus is a system of organs and the presence of a special “class of officials” through which the state functions and develops. The publication of laws and regulations that are binding on the entire population of a given state is carried out by the state legislative body.

Concept of state

The state appears at a certain stage of development of society as a political organization, as an institution of power and management of society. There are two main concepts of the emergence of the state. In accordance with the first concept, the state arises in the course of the natural development of society and the conclusion of an agreement between citizens and rulers (T. Hobbes, J. Locke). The second concept goes back to the ideas of Plato. She rejects the first and insists that the state arises as a result of the conquest (conquest) by a relatively small group of warlike and organized people (tribe, race) of a significantly larger but less organized population (D. Hume, F. Nietzsche). Obviously, in the history of mankind, both the first and second methods of the emergence of the state took place.

As already mentioned, at first the state was the only political organization in society. Subsequently, during the development of the political system of society, other political organizations (parties, movements, blocs, etc.) arise.

The term "state" is usually used in a broad and narrow sense.

In a broad sense, the state is identified with society, with a specific country. For example, we say: “states that are members of the UN”, “states that are members of NATO”, “the state of India”. In the examples given, the state refers to entire countries along with their peoples living in a certain territory. This idea of ​​the state dominated in antiquity and the Middle Ages.

In a narrow sense, the state is understood as one of the institutions of the political system that has supreme power in society. This understanding of the role and place of the state is justified during the period of formation of the institutions of civil society (XVIII - XIX centuries), when the political system and social structure of society become more complex, and the need arises to separate the actual state institutions and institutions from society and other non-state institutions of the political system.

The state is the main socio-political institution of society, the core of the political system. Possessing sovereign power in society, it controls the lives of people, regulates relations between various social strata and classes, and is responsible for the stability of society and the safety of its citizens.

The state has a complex organizational structure which includes the following elements: legislative institutions, executive and administrative bodies, judicial system, public order authorities and state security, armed forces, etc. All this allows the state to perform not only the functions of managing society, but also the functions of coercion (institutionalized violence) in relation to both individual citizens and large social communities (classes, estates, nations). Thus, during the years of Soviet power in the USSR, many classes and estates were virtually destroyed (bourgeoisie, merchant class, wealthy peasantry, etc.), entire peoples were subjected to political repression (Chechens, Ingush, Crimean Tatars, Germans, etc.).

Signs of the state

The state is recognized as the main subject of political activity. WITH functional point of view, the state is the leading political institution that manages society and ensures order and stability in it. WITH organizational point of view, the state is an organization of political power that enters into relations with other subjects of political activity (for example, citizens). In this understanding, the state is seen as a set of political institutions (courts, social security system, army, bureaucracy, local authorities, etc.) responsible for organizing social life and financed by society.

Signs that distinguish the state from other subjects of political activity are as follows:

Availability of a certain territory— the jurisdiction of a state (the right to hold court and resolve legal issues) is determined by its territorial borders. Within these boundaries, the power of the state extends to all members of society (both those who have citizenship of the country and those who do not);

Sovereignty- the state is completely independent in internal affairs and in conducting foreign policy;

Variety of resources used— the state accumulates the main power resources (economic, social, spiritual, etc.) to exercise its powers;

Striving to represent the interests of the entire society - the state acts on behalf of the whole society, and not individuals or social groups;

Monopoly on legitimate violence- the state has the right to use force to enforce laws and punish their violators;

Right to collect taxes— the state establishes and collects various taxes and fees from the population, which are used to finance government bodies and solve various management problems;

Public nature of power— the state ensures the protection of public interests, not private ones. When implementing public policy, there are usually no personal relationships between the authorities and citizens;

Availability of symbols- the state has its own signs of statehood - a flag, coat of arms, anthem, special symbols and attributes of power (for example, a crown, a scepter and an orb in some monarchies), etc.

In a number of contexts, the concept of “state” is perceived as close in meaning to the concepts of “country”, “society”, “government”, but this is not so.

A country— the concept is primarily cultural and geographical. This term is usually used when talking about area, climate, natural areas, population, nationalities, religions, etc. The state is a political concept and denotes the political organization of that other country - its form of government and structure, political regime, etc.

Society- a concept broader than the state. For example, a society can be above the state (society as all of humanity) or pre-state (such as a tribe and a primitive clan). At the present stage, the concepts of society and state also do not coincide: public power (say, a layer of professional managers) is relatively independent and isolated from the rest of society.

Government - only part of the state, its highest administrative and executive agency, an instrument for the exercise of political power. The state is a stable institution, while governments come and go.

General characteristics of the state

Despite all the diversity of types and forms of state formations that arose earlier and currently exist, it is possible to identify common features that are, to one degree or another, characteristic of any state. In our opinion, these signs were presented most fully and convincingly by V.P. Pugachev.

These signs include the following:

• public power, separated from society and not coinciding with social organization; the presence of a special layer of people exercising political control of society;
• a certain territory (political space), delineated by borders, to which the laws and powers of the state apply;
• sovereignty - supreme power over all citizens living in a certain territory, their institutions and organizations;
• monopoly on the legal use of force. Only the state has “legal” grounds for limiting the rights and freedoms of citizens and even depriving them of their lives. For these purposes it has special strong structure: army, police, courts, prisons, etc. P.;
• the right to collect taxes and fees from the population that are necessary for the maintenance of government bodies and material support of state policy: defense, economic, social, etc.;
• mandatory membership in the state. A person acquires citizenship from the moment of birth. Unlike membership in a party or other organizations, citizenship is a necessary attribute of any person;
• a claim to represent the entire society as a whole and to protect common interests and goals. In reality, no state or other organization is able to fully reflect the interests of all social groups, classes and individual citizens of society.

All functions of the state can be divided into two main types: internal and external.

By doing internal functions The activities of the state are aimed at managing society, at coordinating the interests of various social strata and classes, and at preserving their powers of power. Carrying out external functions, the state acts as a subject of international relations, representing a certain people, territory and sovereign power.