Structuring the State

This is the most important book on state-building to appear in recent years. In addition to offering the definitive account of Italy's and Germany's creation, Ziblatt's work also sets the agenda for future scholarship on the comparative study of federalism. Rich narrative combined with theoretical sophistication bring new life to a very important set of debates about the origin...

This is the most important book on state-building to appear in recent years. In addition to offering the definitive account of Italy's and Germany's creation, Ziblatt's work also sets the agenda for future scholarship on the comparative study of federalism. Rich narrative combined with theoretical sophistication bring new life to a very important set of debates about the origins of federalism and nation-states more broadly. This work should be read by specialists of Italian and German political development and comparative politics and by students of political institutions more broadly.

Daniel Ziblatt is associate professor of government and social studies at Harvard University, where he is also faculty associate at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.