The Rise of Non State Authority and the Transformation of the State

We analyse the transformation of advanced Western states by looking at their changing relationship to nonstate actors. As we argue, the ascent of international, transnational and private nonstate actors has ambiguous effects on the state: It constrains state autonomy but, at the same time, hinges critically on state support. The state remains central not because it still commands a near-exclusive claim to political authority but because of its crucial contribution to enabling and managing nonstate authority. The relationship between state and nonstate authority is variable-sum. More nonstate rule requires more state authority not less.