Conclusion: new debates in the wake of state transformation

The transformation from modern towards postmodern statehood may not seem very dramatic. But it does have wide-ranging consequences in several important areas, some of which have already been hinted at above.

The institution of sovereignty is changing as well. Multi-level governance is quite the opposite of non-intervention; it is rather systematic intervention in national affairs by international or supranational institutions. What it means to be sovereign is very different under conditions of multi-level governance compared with traditional conditions of national government. Furthermore, the ‘domestic’ affairs and the ‘international’ context of any one country can no longer easily be separated. But frequently both the disci­pline of IR and the discipline of comparative politics continue as if nothing has happened.

Traditional notions of state power are challenged as well. Because war between postmodern states is out of the question, it would appear that military power is losing significance whereas non-material, intangible sources of power including soft power are of increasing importance. At the same time, the aftermath of 9/11 has demonstrated the continued relevance of military power. What is state power under conditions of postmodern statehood and who has it?

In sum, the transformation of statehood presents scholars with a large new menu of analytical and substantial challenges. The traditional approaches need to be further developed in order to confront the new situation. There are many big questions that call for better answers than scholars (and policy-makers) have been able to come up with so far. The issue of state transformation and its consequences will be high on our analytical agenda for a very long time.

Further reading

Dicken, P. (2003) Global Shift. Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century (London: Sage).

Held, D., McGrew, A., Goldblatt, D. and Perraton, J. (1999) Global Transforma­tions: Politics, Economics and Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Jessop, B. (2002) The Future of the Capitalist State (Cambridge: Polity Press).

Political Studies, 47:3 (1999). Special Issue on Sovereignty with a wide-ranging coverage of that important institution.

Sorensen, G. (2004) The Transformation of the State: Beyond the Myth of Retreat (London: Palgrave Macmillan).

Weiss, L. (1998) The Myth of the Powerless State: Governing the Economy in a Global Era (Cambridge: Polity Press).