Joel S. Migdal, in his book, “Strong Societies and Weak States: State-Society Relations and State Capabilities in the Third World” (1988) seeks to understand the underlying reasons behind the differences in some states maintaining social control over their people while others lacking this ability. Migdal posits that while prior literature has focused on a state-centered approach, it has missed taking into consideration how the structure of the society also influences the character and style of state capabilities.

Furthermore, for a holistic understanding of the relation between the state and its people, Migdal offers that exogenous factors beyond the domestic set-up also contribute to conditions influencing the dynamics of state-society relations. Reviewing such dynamics, particularly in the post-World War II era, Migdal points to factors as the spread of world economy after the advent of the capitalist economic model and the European colonial rule of non-Western societies as greatly influencing indigenous forces in creating the distribution of social control in many Third World countries. Other factors as wars and revolutions, occurring in the 20th century leading to mass migrations or dislocations, have also contributed to diminishing old forms of social control and allowing new ones to form. It has been in the aftermath of severe social chaos, in Migdal’s view, that most strong societies have been formed, albeit many with weak state institutions.

Taking the varying political experiences of states such as Egypt, India, Israel, Mexico, and Sierra Leone as case studies to enrich his theoretical claims, Migdal also points towards the role of non-state organizations or powerful sub-organizations under state institutions that have, in many countries, paved the way for an oligopoly of mobilization forces that undermine strong central state structure and lead to rulers’ dilemma of power. In his analysis of the Third World countries, Migdal also rests his sympathy with the Third World societies due to the powerful state apparatus often attacking vulnerable elements, such as the poor or minorities, to achieve social control.