No violent power: The political capacity of the nation-state

Author: (USA) Jackman (Jackman/R.W) / Ouyang Jinggen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book is one of the most inspiring works since the decline of comparative politics in the 1970s. The authors thoroughly analyze the issue of political development in third-world countries from the perspective of the core concept of political capacity. Based on a detailed academic critique of the major achievements of comparative politics that emerged in the 1960s, they systematically propose a political development theory centered on political capacity. The authors argue that political capacity is a part of political life and the core issue of political development. In their view, political capacity refers to the government's ability to resolve conflicts, the process by which regimes resolve conflicts using political means, and the process of implementing and enforcing power. Political capacity is reflected in two dimensions, or it consists of two components: institutions and legitimacy. At the institutional level, political capacity manifests as institutional capacity, which is further manifested as the actual age of the state in a legal sense and the generational replacement age since the implementation of the constitution. Another important aspect of political capacity is political legitimacy.