The influence of the state on human lives is more comprehensive and sustained than that of any other organizational construct. It steers the economy, fights crime, provides education, sustains democracy, enters wars, guarantees social welfare, collects taxes, and deploys some forty percent of the gross national product. Transformations of the State? defines the multi-faceted modern state in four intersecting dimensions: resources, or control of the use of force and revenues; law, or jurisdiction and the courts; legitimacy, or the acceptance of political rule by the populace; and welfare, or the facilitation of economic growth and social equality. The twentieth-century nation-state blended those dimensions and turned the post-WWII era into the golden age of the state. What has become of that state and its functions and what is its future? Political scientists, lawyers, economists and sociologists have examined a sample of OECD nation-states in the search for answers to these questions.

'The book is a great read, not only because the contributors obviously have a strong knowledge of their topic, but also because they are able to communicate this in a well-written and engaging fashion. … Transformations of the State? contributes importantly to our knowledge of the contemporary state's role in governing our societies. It is … highly recommended and should be read by anyone addressing the political underpinnings and implications of globalisation.'

Source: International Journal of Social Warfare