Strong Societies and Weak States: State-Society Relations and State Capabilities in the Third World

Why do many Asian, African, and Latin American states have such difficulty in directing the behavior of their populations—in spite of the resources at their disposal? And why do a small number of other states succeed in such control? What effect do failing laws and social policies have on the state itself? In answering these questions, Joel Migdal takes a new look at the role of the state in the third world. Strong Societies and Weak States offers a fresh approach to the study of state-soci...