Government and the State

Various schools of thought consider the state to be either a neutral entity separated from society or an immoral partisan instrument.

A state is an organized political community acting under a government. States differ in sovereignty, governance, geography, and interests.

Citizenship carries both rights and responsibilities, as it describes a person with legal rights within a given political order.

Theories explaining the origins and formation of states all revolve around the ability to centralize power in a sustainable way.