The capitalist state is the
state, its functions and the form of organization it takes within
capitalist socioeconomic systems.
[Jessop, Bob (January 1977). "Recent Theories of the Capitalist State". ''Soviet Studies''. 1: 4. pp. 353–373.] This concept is often used interchangeably with the concept of the modern state. Despite their common functions, there are many different sociological characteristics recognized as aspects of capitalist states.
[Morishima, Michio (1976)]
''The Economic Theory of Modern Society''
New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 1. .
The primary functions of the capitalist state are to provide a legal framework and infrastructural framework conducive to
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
enterprise and the
accumulation of capital. Different normative theories exist on the necessary and appropriate function of the state in a
capitalist economy, with proponents of ''
laissez-faire'' favoring a state limited to the provision of
public goods and safeguarding private property rights while proponents of
interventionism stress the importance of regulation, intervention and macroeconomic stabilization for providing a favorable environment for the accumulation of capital and business.
Thus, thinkers in the
Marxist
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
tradition often refer to the capitalist state as the
dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. Thinkers in the
instrumental Marxist tradition stress the role of policymakers and political elites sharing a common business or class background, leading to their decisions reflecting their class interest. This is differentiated from more contemporary notions of state capture by specific business interests for the benefit of those specific businesses and not the ruling class or capitalist system as a whole, which is variously referred to as
crony capitalism or
corporatocracy.
According to
Dylan John Riley,
Nicos Poulantzas argued that "all capitalist States had the dual task of preventing the political organization of the dominated classes, and of organizing the
dominant class".
See also
*
Big government
*
Capital accumulation
Capital accumulation is the dynamic that motivates the pursuit of profit, involving the investment of money or any financial asset with the goal of increasing the initial monetary value of said asset as a financial return whether in the form ...
*
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
*
Capitalist mode of production (Marxist theory)
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
*
Communist state
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
*
Corporatocracy
*
Economic interventionism
A market intervention is a policy or measure that modifies or interferes with a market, typically done in the form of state action, but also by philanthropic and political-action groups. Market interventions can be done for a number of reas ...
*
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...
*
Patriarchy
*
Socialist state
A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. This article is about states that refer to themselves as socialist states, and not specifically ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
Further reading
* Barak, Gregg (ed.) (1991)
''Crimes by the Capitalist State: An Introduction to State Criminality'' Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. .
* Duncan, Graeme
''Democracy and the Capitalist State'' New York: Cambridge University Press. .
* Jessop, Bob (2002)
''The Future of the Capitalist State'' Cambridge: Polity Press. .
* Jessop, Bob (1990)
''State Theory: Putting the Capitalist State in its Place'' University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. .
* Saville, John (1994)
''The Consolidation of the Capitalist State, 1800-1850'' London and Boulder, Colorado: Pluto Press. .
* Szymanski, Albert (1978)
''The Capitalist State and the Politics of Class'' Cambridge, Massachusetts: Winthrop Publishers. {{ISBN, 978-0876261057.
Capitalism
Forms of government
Political science terminology
Marxist terminology