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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The Restructuring of the Venezuelan State and State Theory 64-83
Authors: Luis Llambi(a) and Lourdes Gouveia(b)
Affiliation: (a)Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, Caracas, Venezuela; (b)Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA
Abstract PDF
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A central objective of this article is to examine the restructuring of the state apparatuses and decision-making processes of economically 'small' and politically 'weak' nation-states as they adjust to the emerging global economic and social order. We focus most specifically on the impact of the above-mentioned projects on two different state restructuring projects - one 'endogenous' the other 'exogenous' - of the Venezuelan Ministry of Agriculture (MAC) and related agencies.
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In our analysis, we find that the reorganization of state systems is determined both by structural forces - a particular 'logic of capital' - and by conjunctural factors and contingencies such as the particular balance of social forces and institutional structure present at each juncture. Transnational forces enhance the complex determinacy of state power and autonomy, but their effect is far from clear at this point. We conclude that globalization theory may have been too quick in its generalizations about the current and future fate of the nation-state. The restructuring of current state forms is a highly heterogeneous and contingent process, suggesting the need for a substantial dialog between additional research and formulation of state theory.