ABSTRACT

With the publication of Bringing the State Back In (Evans, Rueschemeyer and Skocpol 1985) comparative political theorists put the state on the analytic agenda. With historical and comparative perspectives, they ended the pretence (so common in studies of the USA) of an irrelevant or minimalist state, as in the classic liberal ideal. This focus led people to examine government institutions more carefully for the way they opened or closed doors to people and policy debates.