Some Things Borrowed, Some Things New: Toward a Multi-Sites of Power Approach to State Theory

Abstract

State theories have consistently focused on the relationship between the state and economic or class actors that reproduces largely capitalist class relations through the state's authority to create policy. There have been highly spirited debates among these class-based models for decades. But there are many state power and policymaking concerns clustering around substantial issues, such as race, gender, and sexuality that significantly affect the organization of society. The authors suggest borrowing from and building on Jessop's (1990) concepts of state projects, balance of class forces, and selectivity filters to develop a framework that can also account for race, gender, sexuality and their intersections -- a multi-sites of power approach to state theory.