Elite Social Terrain and State Development

Abstract

This chapter explains state development, which the author defines as a dynamic process in which the state's strength and form evolve. It underlines that a state's strength refers to its ability to achieve its official goals, while the state form is a product of two separate relationships. Building on social network theories, the chapter utilizes three graphs to characterize three ideal types of elite social terrains. It elaborates on how elite social terrains help us understand changes in state strength and form over the long run. The chapter then elucidates that network structures that characterize elite social terrains are also a principal factor that shapes how the state is structured and the development of state institutions. It discusses how elite social terrain shapes state institutions through two relationships: between the ruler and the ruling elite; and between the state and society. The chapter highlights the central theme of the book: the Chinese ruler's pursuit of power and survival by reshaping the elite social terrain so that he could divide and conquer the elites created a great paradox in Chinese history: imperial rule endured, but the imperial state lost strength.