Changing theories of the state: has there been a convergence?

As noted in the preface to this volume, in part this book developed out of the section on power and the state in the first edition of Marsh and Stoker’s Theory and Methods in Political Science (1995).

Marsh’s argument was that some convergence had occurred, although there remained key differences, particularly between pluralism and the other two theories. More specifically, he claimed that there were six key aspects of that convergence: an increased focus on the structural basis of privilege; a greater role for agency; the identification of limited number of bases of structured inequality; a growing statism; an emphasis on contingency; and a move to ascribe primacy to politics. Here, on the basis of the discussion in this book, we focus on five slightly different areas where our contributors offer some evidence of convergence: an emphasis on contingency; an accept­ance that power is concentrated; an emphasis on the role of both structure and agency; a ‘cultural turn’; and an increased focus on the state and its institutions. Our aim is to identify both the extent of the convergence and the differences that remain.