Governments vs states: decoding dual governance in the developing world
Author(s)
Date
2010Source Title
Third World Quarterly
Print ISSN
0143-6597
Publisher
Routledge
Volume
31
Issue
5
Pages
693 - 707
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
191
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167
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Abstract
This article begins by questioning the transferability of Western conceptualisations of the 'state' to the developing world, particularly to those areas in which security concerns are extreme. It proposes that the complicated relationship between security and political liberalisation produces a reform- security dilemma, which in turn may result in dual-governance structures consisting of an autonomous 'state' bureaucracy and a relatively newer, political 'government'. The dynamics of such a duality are explored through a longitudinal comparison of two critical cases: Iran and Turkey. Both cases reveal evidence of the 'state' and 'government' as distinct bodies, emerging over time in response to conflicting pressures for security and liberalisation. While the Iranian case remains entrenched in a static duality with an advantaged 'state', the Turkish case provides optimism that, under certain conditions, an eventual subordination of the state to the political government can take place.
Keywords
BureaucracyDeveloping world
Governance approach
Liberalization
National security
Political reform
Iran
Turkey