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Preferred term

state building  

Definition

  • In its most generic form, the term state building refers to the construction of an apparatus of governance defined by its monopoly of the legitimate use of violence in a given territory. Defining the modern state is a contentious project, but most scholars would recognize a core set of features, including a standing army; a diplomatic corps; a centralized bureaucracy (especially for tax collection); the replacement of ad hoc, patrimonial legal procedures with standardized, legalrational ones; the demarcation of national economies; and the incorporation of populations as citizens rather than status groups. [Source: Encyclopedia of Governance; State Building]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/state_building

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