SOAS Research Online

Abstract

State Strategies in the Global Political Economy, Palan, Abbott and Deans argue that the state is not about to decline or ‘wither away’, but must restructure and evolve in response to forces of transnationalization. The state may be besieged but it can fight back and reorganize itself. The nature of this reorganization, the alleged shift from the welfare state to the ‘competition state’ is as much a response to changing global circumstances as it is an instrument of further change. The authors examine the plethora of competitive strategies adopted by the modern state: from the exclusive hegemonic strategies of the most powerful states to the parasitical strategies of the mini-states that serve as tax havens and flags of convenience; from the egalitarianism of the welfare policies of the Shielders to the repressed and exploited labour forces of ‘downworldly mobile’ Third World states; from the emerging continental economies of NAFTA and the EU to the utter dispair of collapsed states structurally unable to compete in the world economy. By investigating these strategic responses, the authors present a comprehensive study of the tactics and strategies employed by states to achieve greater stability and strength within the global political economy.