The states and nations are two significant concepts that go hand-in-hand in understanding politics

and governance within the context of globalization.

State refers to the political structure of an organized community living under a government. It is
taken from the Latin stare (to stand). State has definite territory and an organized government with the
authority to make and enforce laws without consent of a higher authority. It is a self-governing political
entity. The state is related to but is not synonymous to government and country, which refer to elements that
compose the state. The state is often combined with the concept of the nation state. The state is considered
the highest form of human association, and it is the product of man’s basic desire for survival and the
attainment of wants and needs. The state is considered by Enlightenment philosophers such as Thomas
Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau as a product of an established order brought about by
human cooperation and agreement. The state is primarily an organization with a legal purpose which is to
impose law and order and ensure the welfare of the people. It is this nature of the state that imbues it with
the power to enact and enforce laws. The state is considered a product of interaction of its various
elements, and cannot be reduced to a single institution such as the government. As citizens, we encounter
aspects of the state in everyday lives but it is most evident in the laws and regulations we live by and the
public services we avail of. The state is also embodied by our public officials, members of the police and
armed forces, government officers and workers. Their actions as they conduct their duties and
responsibilities are considered manifestations of the power of the state. The state is also embodied by
symbols such as the flag, the national anthem, monuments and other symbols used by the government.

The essential elements of the state include population, territory, government and sovereignty.
 Population refers to the people that compose the state. Without the people, a state cannot exist.
 Territory refers to the place where the people that compose the state are located, and includes the
land, natural resources and air space located within it. This is commonly referred to as a country, a
geographic region recognized to be a distinct national entity.
 Government is the institution empowered by the people to control and administer the state. It is
through the government that the will of the state is expressed and realized.
 Sovereignty is the ability of the state to conduct its affairs and enact its authority without interference
from outside forces. Sovereignty has two aspects: internal sovereignty which refers to the ability of
the state to govern and control its people and territory, and external sovereignty which is the freedom
from outside influences of foreign intervention.

On the other hand, when we talk about sovereignty of the state it is closely tied with legitimacy. A
state becomes more legitimate if it is recognized and respected by the people. The legitimacy of the state is
most evident in the actions of the government and the citizen’s reaction to it. When majority of the
population accepts the government and follows its laws, then it can be said that the state is legitimate. If
however, a significant portion of the population expresses opposition to the state, then its legitimacy is
questioned which gives rise to instability.

Likewise, another form of state legitimacy is recognition by other states or the community of nations,
in international relations, countries recognize each other as possessing the essential elements of the state
and being able to exercise sovereignty. This means that all states participating in regional and international
relations are on equal footing when they relate with each other, and their representatives are afforded the
respect and courtesy due to sovereign states.

A sovereign state, therefore is free to pursue its interest and uphold its objectives and goals
independently and without undue influence from other states. It is also free to decide its own affairs and
cannot be forced by other states to adopt policies detrimental to its own welfare. A sovereign state is
considered a unified, coherent and organized entity that is able to effectively exercise the powers of state. If
however, a country experiences political upheavals such as civil war or has a government that is considered
illegitimate by the international community, its status as a sovereign state may be put into question and this
may affect the standing of the state in international affairs.

The state can also be classified according to the legitimacy attached to its exercise of power. A de
jure state is one that has legitimacy but cannot exercise sovereignty, while a de facto state is one that has
no legitimacy but has sovereignty. During the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, a
de facto state existed which was under the control of the occupying Japanese forces through the Second
Republic or “puppet government” headed by President Jose Laurel. The Philippine state under the
Japanese was only recognized by Japan and its allies; but not by the rest of the world. On the other hand,
the government-inexile led by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon and whose members lived in exile in the United
States was recognized as the de jure state and enjoyed diplomatic relations with the Allies and the rest of
the international community at the time.
 Some states exercise limited sovereignty as part of a union or federation. An example is the United
States of America, which is a federal republic of 50 states and various territories and possessions. Each of
the 50 states of the U.S. has sovereignty concerning its internal affairs. Each states have its government-
with a governor as head of the executive branch, a state legislature, and a state judiciary. States are also
able to independently promulgate state laws and policies and enjoy autonomy in terms of policy-making,
election of public officials and even tax distribution. Within regional and international relations, sovereign
states may choose to limit some of their powers and interests when entering into agreements or treaties. But
sovereign states are still able to reassert their sovereignty within the framework of bilateral and multilateral
relations. Membership in international organizations also means that a sovereign state must comply with
certain policies and regulations imposed by international agreements or conventions.

On the other hand, a nation is a large group of people who share common characteristics such as
language, traditions, and ethnicity. The people who belong to a nation share the same culture and history,
and identify themselves as a people distinct from others. In modern political discourse, the nation is
considered a political and cultural entity and is often studied alongside the state. The concept of nation and
the state are often discussed and analyzed together and this has given rise to the concept of nation- state. A
state may emerge from a nation, as many of the unifying elements of the state are defined by the nation.
Many states throughout the world have a single national identity, and that identity is reinforced and further
developed by the state through nation building. States continually engaged in nation-building activities in
order to reinforce national identity and orient citizens to the traditions, values and aspirations that define
their state. Furthermore, nation is a self-identification of a people, common identity may be built upon a
common language, history, race, or culture, or simply upon a fact that this group occupied the same
territory.

The main differences between state and nation ([Link]) are as follows:
Difference in the elements: The state has essentially four elements - population, territory, government, and
sovereignty. In the absence of even one element, a state cannot really be considered a State. On the other
hand, a nation is a group of people who have a strong sense of unity and common consciousness. The
elements of common territory, common race, common religion, common language, common history,
common culture and common political aspirations help the formation of a nation, and yet none of these is an
absolutely essential element. The elements which characterize a nation keeps on evolving as time goes by.
State is a political organization while Nation is a social, cultural, psychological, emotional and political unity:
The state is a political organization which satisfies the security and welfare needs of its people. On the other
hand, a nation is a united unit of population which is full of emotional, spiritual and psychological bonds. A
nation has no business with the physical needs of the people.
Territory is essential for the State but not for a Nation: It is essential for each state to possess a fixed
territory. It is the physical element of the State. State is a territorial entity. But for a nation, territory is not an
essential requirement. A nation can exist even without a fixed territory.
Sovereignty is essential for State but not for Nation: Sovereignty is an essential element of the State. In the
absence of sovereignty, the State loses its existence. It is not essential for a nation to possess sovereignty.
However, each nation always aspires to be sovereign and independent of the control of every other nation.
Nation can be bigger in Scope than the State The state is limited to a fixed territory. Its boundaries can
increase or decrease but the process of change is always very complex. However, a nation may or may not
remain within the bounds of a fixed territory. Nation is a community based on common ethnicity, history and
traditions and aspirations.
There can be two or more Nationalities living in one State: There can be two or more than two nations within
a single state. The United States of America for example is a combination of nations. Most of the modern
states are multinational states.
Nation is more stable than State: A nation is more stable than state. When sovereignty ends, the state dies,
but not the nation. A nation can survive even without sovereignty. For example, after their defeat in the
World War II, both Germany and Japan lost their sovereign statuses and outside powers began to control
them. They ceased to exist as States but they continued to live as nations.
A State can be created while a Nation is always the result of evolution: A state can be created with the
conscious endeavors of the people. Physical elements play an important role in the birth of a State. A nation
on the other hand, is a unity of the people which emerges slowly and steadily. No special efforts go into the
making of a nation.
The State uses police power (force) for preserving its unity and integrity, the Nation is bound by strong
cultural and historical links: A nation survives on the power of sense of unity of the people. A nation appeals,
the state orders; a nation persuades, a states coerces; and a nation boycotts, the state punishes. State and
nation do not have the same boundaries, and yet there is a tendency for a nation and state to be a one
entity. Most of the nation’s today stand organized into different states and are multinational States. The
modern state is called a nation-state because all the (nationalities) living in one state area integrated into
one nation.
A single nation can consist of many states: A single nation may cut among many states specially if such
nation merely migrated to their neighboring states and became the dominant population. An example of this
is the Arab nation which consists of many Middle East states like Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya and Yemen
to name few.
 Moreover, the nation-state is one where the great majority is conscious of a common identity and
shared the same culture. The nation-state is an area where the cultural boundaries match up with the
political boundaries. The ideal nation-state is that the state incorporates people of a single ethnic stock and
cultural traditions. Bonds that create a nation-state are culture, history, religion, nationality, territory and
language.