State Building in Historical Perspective

After years of relative neglect, state building has come to be recognized the essential prerequisite for both political and economic development. During the past years a chorus of voices both inside the academy and out has proclaimed that without strong, effective states such goals as the establishment of order, the overcoming of deep socioeconomic inequality and communal divisions, the consolidation of democracy, and the emergence of well-functioning economies is impossible. Yet despite this growing recognition, our understanding of the process of state building has lagged far beyond our recognition of its importance. Many recent studies show why strong, effective states are good or explain how they differ from weak, predatory ones, but very few tell us how they can be acquired. This paper will analyze this process in early modern Europe, focusing on the crucial French case.