Sven Steinmo on the Evolution of Modern States

Professor Sven Steinmo gives a talk on his latest book The Evolution of Modern States: Sweden, Japan and the United States (Cambridge University Press) on the 24th of February 2011 at 14.00 in the Institute for Futures Studies, Holländargatan 13, Stockolm

The Evolution of Modern States is a significant contribution to the literatures on political economy, globalization, historical institutionalism, and social science methodology. The book begins with a simple question: Why do rich capitalist democracies respond so differently to the common pressures they face in the early 21st century? Drawing on insights from evolutionary theory, Steinmo challenges the common equilibrium view of politics and economics and argues that modern political economies are best understood as complex adaptive systems.  The book examines the political, social and economic history of three different nations–Sweden, Japan and the U.S.‹and explains how and why these countries have evolved along such different trajectories over the past century.  Bringing together social and economic history, institutionalism, and evolutionary theory, Steinmo thus provides a comprehensive explanation for differing responses to globalization as well as a new way of analyzing institutional and social change.

Sven Steinmo holds the Chair in Public Policy and Political Economy at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. He is also a NordWel Professor of Comparative Politics at the Institute for Future Studies in Stockholm, Sweden.  He is currently on leave as a professor of political science at the University of Colorado.