ABSTRACT
Initially,inthe1970s,economicgeographerswereheavilyinfluencedby Marxianapproachestothestate.TheStateDerivationdebateamongGerman statetheoristshadamarkedimpact(forexample,seeClarkandDear,1984; HollowayandPiciotto,1978).Thefocusofthisdebatewasuponexplaining whythestatetooktheformthatitdid,constitutedinapoliticalspherethat wasformallyseparatefromtheeconomy,andasaresulthadavariabledegree ofrelativeautonomyinitsscopeforactioninpolicyformationandimplementation.Asthisdebatedeveloped,itbecameclearthattoseektoderivea theoryofthecapitaliststatewasaflawedprojectandthefocusofconcern becamethenationalstateandtherelationshipsbetweenstatepolicies,uneven developmentandgeographiesofeconomies.Statepoliciesarestructurally constrainedbytheparametersdefinedbycapitalistsocialrelationshipsbut withintheseparametersareopentoinfluencefromarangeofsocialforcesand interests.Althoughthereisacleartendencyfortheinterestsofcapitalto dominate,theydonotnecessarilydosoonalloccasionsandinanycasecompetitionbetweencompaniesandvariouscapitalistconcernsrendersanysimple notionofthestatenon-problematically'meetingtheinterestsofcapital' problematic.
