State Functions and the Future of the State
| DOI | 10.1177/019251218600700207 |
| Published date | 01 April 1986 |
| Author | Karl W. Deutsch |
| Date | 01 April 1986 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
209
STATE
FUNCTIONS
AND
THE
FUTURE
OF
THE
STATE
KARL
W.
DEUTSCH
A
typology
of
states
classified
as
either
enforcement
or
service
states
leads
to
further
distinctions
among
regulation,
laissez-faire,
planning,
welfare,
revolutionary
and
adaptive
states.
The
typology
provides
a
base
for
speculations
about
the
long
term
future
of
the
State.
STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTS
OF
THE
STATE
It
is
useful
to
distinguish
the
state
and
the
political
system.
The
state
can
be
seen
as
a
combination
of
two
basic
functions,
each of
which
must
rely
on
three
structural
elements.
The
first
of
the
two
basic
func-
tions
is
the
enforcement
state,
which
I
shall
call
State
A.
Its
three
ma-
jor
structural
elements
are,
first,
its
enforcement
machinery,
that
is,
the
armed
forces
and
the
police
with
material
appendages,
buildings,
and
equipment,
which
were
the
well
known
apparatus
of
force
of
interest
to
Marxist
writers.
The
second,
or
decision-making
part,
con-
sists
of
the
high-level
decision
makers,
legislators
and
rulers
in
full-
time
roles,
because
a
machinery
that
is
capable
of
enforcing
must
know
what
to
enforce,
and
this,
of
course,
will
change
with
differing
situa-
tions.
The
third
or
implementing
part
of
this
enforcement
state
con-
sists
of
the
middle-level
civilian
managers
and
decision
makers
in
the
service
of
directly
enforceable
legislation,
administration
and
coordina-
tion.
State
A
is
the
enforcement
state/decision
state
that
produces
enforceable
decisions,
or
those
decisions
which
are
expected
to
be
enforceable.
Talcott
Parsons
used
to
call
them
&dquo;binding&dquo;
decisions.
The
second
basic
function
characterizes
what
I
shall
call
State
B,
the
service
state,
producing
desired
goods
and
services.
These
include
the
many
millions
of
public
employees
working
in
the
modern
states
today.
In
many
countries
these
persons
are
involved
in
the
building
and
management
of
roads
and
railroads,
run
postal
services,
conduct
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