Broad ranging in its coverage of the liberal democratic state and other, non-democratic state formations, the book offers chapters on each of the core theories of the modern state. Each chapter is structured in the same way to allow for ease of cross-referencing and for comparisons to be drawn between theories, with parts on Context, Definition, Theorists and Practical Politics. The authors work on the premise that theory is relevant to everyday life, helping us to understand current political transitions and institutional formations and practices. Taking a practical view of politics, each chapter illustrates how state theory has been deployed in recent historical contexts and policy initiatives, using examples to bring the theory to life.