Spatial Organization of Governments

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Spatial Organization of Governments

• How states organize their territories

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Richard Hartshorne (1950s)

• Forces at work that affect success of state
• Centripetal forces
• Unify a state
• Centrifugal forces
• Break a state apart

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Centripetal Forces

• Forces that strengthen state
• National institutions
• Common history
• Culture
• Strong central government
• Effective communications
• Homogeneity

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Centrifugal Forces

• Forces that weaken state
• Regionalism
• Ethnic strife
• Territorial disputes
• Heterogeneity

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Forms of Government

• Unitary
• Centralized, powerful capital
• Monarchy/dictator
• Strong state
• Federal
• Shared power
• Strong v. weak
• Degree of regional power

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Devolution

• Movement of power from central to regional
  governments
• Bringing the power closer to the people
• Often based on ethno-cultural groups
• Can contribute to centrifugal forces

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Supranationalism

• Forming institutions at a scale higher than the
  nation-state
• Political
• Economic
• Cultural

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Law of the Sea
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European Supranationalism

• 1957 Common Market
• Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg,
  Netherlands
• 1992 Maastrict Treaty European Union
• 1999 Unified Currency The Euro

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Capitalism

• Dominant economic system
• Market for goods and services determines
  allocation
• Commodification
• Placing monetary value on all things

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Capitalist World System

• Immanuel Wallerstein (1987)
• In a capitalist world you will have three tiers
  of states
• Core
• Greater wealth high technology
• Periphery
• Poor low technology
• Semi-periphery
• Mix

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