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Despite the increasing globalization of many aspects of social, economic and political life, the state remains the fundamental element of contemporary governance. This fully revised and extended new edition provides a broad-ranging introduction to the origins, role and future of the modern state tracing out how significant shifts in state capacity came about in relation to developments in economic, political and ideological power.

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1. The Modern State.- 2. The Origins of State Capacity.- 3. Building Capacity, East and West.- 4. The State, Capitalism, and Industrialization.- 5. States and International Systems.- 6. The State Embedded: Twentieth century alternatives?.- 7. State Capacity and Governance in a Globalized World.- Conclusion.

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Graeme Gill is Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney. He taught for many years in the Department of Government at Sydney, principally courses in Soviet and Russian politics. He is the author or editor of 19 books and over 90 articles, and is the immediate past president of the International Council for Central and East European Studies. He is also a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

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