“To the extent that the threats against which a given government protects its citizens are imaginary or are consequences of its own activities, the government has organized a protection racket.”
Charles Tilly, “War Making and State Making as Organized Crime”
States act as racketeers in three ways:
“War makes states and states make war.”
Charles Tilly, Coercion, Capital and European States: 990-1992
Europe: 1000 CE
Europe: 1648 CE
Europe: 1911 CE
State capacity is closely linked to conflict and the need to fight wars
State-building takes a long time
The sources of state wealth have an impact on how coercive and bureaucratic a state become
Challenges to legitimacy of African states:
Large countries
Dispersed populations
Arbitrary borders