Contingency: is a theory of the state possible?
To an extent, contingency seems a key feature of most of the theoretical positions analysed here. Most obviously, contingency is at the core of both pluralism and poststructuralism, although not in quite the same way.
Pluralism sees power as diffuse, with no interest winning consistently across time and space. So, the government doesn’t forward the interest of one class, gender or, indeed, interest group and, thus, the outcome of any policy decision is contingent. In contrast, poststructuralists operate with a much more radical notion of contingency. In their view, which in ontological terms is anti-foundationalist, there is no fixed ‘reality’ that exists independent of our understanding it. At the same time, the meanings we attach to institutions and practices are contingent and constructed within discourses. As such, they are also contested. Consequently, a general theory of the state which can be applied across time and space and which is thus extra-discursive is impossible.Although most other theories do not go as far as to embrace such an anti- foundationalist position, few, if any, theorists would now argue that it is possible to develop a general theory of the state. Of course, pluralism never had a theory of the state. Pluralists certainly argued that power was not concentrated, but the exact nature of the distribution of influence in a particular society was an empirical question and the distribution would change over time. Similarly, as Evans indicates, it has often been argued that modern elitism is better viewed as an empirical refutation of pluralism, rather than a theory of the state. In contrast, historically, Marxism offered a clear theory of the state, along with a theory of history. However, most modern Marxists no longer adhere to a materialist theory of history or, as Hay shows, think that either a general Marxist theory of the state or even a theory of the capitalist state is possible. Rather, modern Marxist theorists like Jessop (1990) see Marxism as providing a set of concepts that can be used to examine particular states.
So, any idea that it is possible to develop a general theory of the state is now widely dismissed, although for different reasons from within different positions. Pluralism was never interested in a theory of the state and, while classical elitism had such aspirations, modern elitism is rooted in an empirical critique of pluralism. Marxism has changed most in this respect, with modern Marxists rejecting economism and determinism and embracing contingency and indeterminancy. Most fundamentally, poststructuralism is based on contingency, instability and conflict; so the state is a complex and contested series of sites where different discourses interrelate and compete. As such, no one theory of this terrain is possible.
More on the topic Contingency: is a theory of the state possible?:
- Like Henry Higgins who, through his work changed the object of his studies into something other than what it was, the purpose of the Marxist theory of the state is not just to understand the capitalist state but to aid in its destruction. (Wolfe 1974: 131)
- The so-called ‘new institutionalism’ is a relatively recent addition to the pantheon of theories of the state and, like some of the other perspectives considered in this volume, it is by no means only a theory of the state
- Why do Marxists need a theory of the state?
- Recent developments in state theory
- A genealogy of the state in Marxist theory
- This chapter explores and evaluates poststructuralist approaches to the political theory and analysis of the state.
- Chapter 3 (What's Marxist about) Marxist State Theory?
- The discussion about principles in contemporary legal theory: How it all started
- Allan James. A Sceptical Theory of Morality and Law. Peter Lang,1998. — 277 p., 1998
- Atienza Manuel, Manero Juan Ruiz. A Theory of Legal Sentences. Springer Netherlands,1998. — 205 p., 1998
- 1 Some Theory
- 6.4 CARL SCHMITT ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF OCCUPATION
- Chapter 7 Green Theory
- The growth of political theory
- 9 Suing the Paterfamilias: Theory and Practice
- 1. Permission in contemporary legal theory
- PART B: LEGAL THEORY FROM THE SCEPTIC’S VANTAG
- The foregoing discussion in Part A of moral scepticism and several of its ramifications will form the backdrop of my consideration of aspects of legal theory.
- Carl Schmitt on the Theory and Practice of Occupation and Dictatorship