The World of States

This sweeping account of modern state forms analyzes what makes states effective, how contemporary states differ, and the interactions between them.

John L. Campbell (Author), John A. Hall (Author)

9781108832939, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 June 2021

200 pages
22.4 x 14.5 x 2 cm, 0.49 kg

'John Campbell and John Hall have written an audaciously provocative and compelling book. Their argument is deceptively simple – states matter as much as ever, despite intensifying economic globalization and European integration. This book is a must read for specialists and general readers who are interested in understanding the contours of global politics.' Grzegorz Ekiert, Harvard University

Without nation-states Covid-19, climate change, international cyberattacks, and other threats would go unchecked. In The World of States, John L. Campbell and John A. Hall challenge the view that nation-states have lost their relevance in the context of globalization and rising nationalism. The book traces how states evolved historically, how contemporary states differ from one another, and the interactions between them. States today confront a host of challenges, but two features make some states more effective than others: institutional arrangement and national identity. The second edition has been updated to discuss why the BRICS countries (with the exception of China) are no longer the rising powers they were once thought to be; the effects of Brexit on the European Union; the legacy of the Trump administration for US politics and hegemony; and how the coronavirus may upset the world of states going forward.

Introduction
1. The past
2. Conditions of existence, old and new
3. Challengers?
4. States of the Global South
5. The North
6. Still the strongest power on Earth?
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP], International relations [JPS], Comparative politics [JPB], Sociology [JHB]