Description: Despite the increasing globalization of many aspects of social, economic and political life, the state remains the fundamental element of contemporary governance. This fully revised and extended new edition provides a broad-ranging introduction to the origins, role and future of the modern state tracing out how significant shifts in state capacity came about in relation to developments in economic, political and ideological power.
Brief description: GRAEME GILL is Professor of Government and Public Administration, University of Sydney, Australia.
Review Quotes: 'This book will make a fascinating read for any student interested in understanding the history of state building. Gill offers an in-depth and rich historical overview of state formation, and of how states developed capacity and became modern.'
- Natasha Ezrow, The University of Essex, UK
'This book constitutes a leading and outstanding introduction to the state. It views state capacity through various prisms from the deep past to the present, through the East/West context and through to the domestic/international nexus resulting in a highly comprehensive and very clearly written take on the state that is a must-read for anyone interested in this topic.' John M. Hobson, University of Sheffield, UK"