International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food
Published by Michigan State University
Official publication of the Research Committee on Sociology of Agriculture and Food (RC-40)
of the International Sociological Association (ISA)
Editors: Raymond Jussaume, Claire Marris and Katerina Psarikidou
Frequency: 3 issues per year
ISSN: 0798-1759
Volume 4 (1994)
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State and Devolution: Economic Crises and the Devolution of U.S. Superstate Power 47-63
Author: Robert Schaeffer
Affiliation: Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University, San José, CA, USA
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Abstract PDF
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This paper examines the incorporation of superstate power by U.S. state organizations after World War Two and the subsequent 'devolution' or transfer of U.S. authority to superstate organizations in response to contemporary economic crisis. After analyzing the crises that let to the devolution of U.S. agricultural and monetary authority, the paper discusses the implication of these developments for a theory of states in the interstate system, arguing that the seizure of state power may no longer be a useful or relevant objective for social movements.