Globalisation and the State : What happened to 'Relative Autonomy' ?

This article calls for a revisit to the notion of the 'relative autonomy of the state', a concept which was much discussed during the 1970s and 1980s when, rightly or wrongly, the 'developmentalis't state ' enjoyed considerable prominence and latitude. In recent times, state autonomy in many countries in the South has been severely reduced under the influence of globalisation and of increasingly detailed prescriptions from the International Financial Institutions and other external actors. In view of the resulting lack of 'ownership ' of the policy processes by the governments concerned, an intellectual revisit to and debate about the notion of the 'relative autonomy of the state ' might be useful in reconceptualising and re appraising the role of the state within a globalising context. With such far-reaching changes in the organisation of political and economic power as have been taking place across the globe in recent decades, it may be instructive to revisit the notion of 'the autonomy of the state', specifically with respect to the socalled 'developmental state'. As will be recalled, in the 70s and well beyond, 'relative autonomy' figured as a key concept for those trying to understand the role and nature of the state. What happened to this idea and why do we no longer hear about it ? What does the absence of references to it today signify ?