何謂國家﹖在政治學中，這是一最簡單但又最難捉摸的問題。本文首先探討「 國家」研究復起之緣由。但是重新肯定「國家」研究有其重要性之說詞，受到結構 功能國派學者阿蒙之抨擊。他認為國家概念本身就充滿了玄學的語意。由於國家概 念引起極大的爭論，本文企圖解決三項有關國家之問題，並指出國家不等於政府， 國家不是獨立行為者，而且在研究上不應只單獨注意國家或祇是社會。本文採取「 構成關係」的方法以研究國家與社會之關係，並指出國家與社會間有四種吊詭現象 。最後，本文認為，研究國家應將其視為整體結構擬結之組織原則，並視其為社會 中管理與統治的結構及其所產生的效果。 What is the state﹖ This is one of the most simple yet elusive questions that can be asked in politics. This paper first summarizes the reasons why there has been a renewed interest in the state. The reaffirmation of the importance of the state in political explanation, however, has been challenged by a structure-functionalist scholar Almond. To Almond, this concept seems to have metaphyscial overtones. Owing to the debate on the return of the state, this paper tries to solve three related questions in terms of the state. It concludes that the state is not the government, that it is not independent actor, and that the research should focus neither on the state-centered theories nor on the society- centered theories. This paper adopts the "relational" approach in studying the state and the society and indicates that there is a paradox in four aspects of state-society relations. Finally, it concludes that the concept of the state should be analyzed as the organizing principles of structural coherence ans as the structure and its structural effect of governance and rule in society.
