The Theory of the State Versus the State of Theory

Metatheory makes sociopolitical analyses of "stability" and "crisis" more empirically and theoretically comprehensive. Multidimensional yet parsimonious presuppositions and models reside at the core of metatheory. Power and viability are political sociology's pivotal presuppositional topics. A multidimensional view of power permits a more valid study of such issues as the interaction of capitalism and the state and the autonomy and transformative potential of the latter. Multidimensional analyses of viability encourage a tiered image of politics in which activity and passivity can coexist and the rejection of the binary interpretation of "stability" and "crisis." A model of the polity with a minimum of four tiers is presented. The state tier is modeled as a complex organization. An organizational, but "nonmanagerialist," perspective opposes a monogoaled view of state effectiveness. Moreover, viability is understood as entailing not merely state effectiveness but the efficiency of participation and the legitimacy of institutions as well.