There is a pervasive trend towards a denationalization of authority in advanced industrial societies. Government is no longer the exclusive business of the state but involves an increasing range of international institutions and private agents. It is often assumed in academic and political discourse that the internationalization and privatization of government weakens the state and may lead to its eventual demise. This assumption is wrong. As we show in our paper, the denationalization of authority does not make the state redundant but remains fundamentally dependent on it. However, the role and missions of the state change. Slowly, incrementally, and not without reverses, the state transforms from sovereign monopolist of political authority to key integrator of partly privatized and internationalized authority relations. The state no longer has an exclusive claim to authority but initiates, coordinates and synthesizes the authority of a diverse set of international and private actors.
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