The State as mediator of interests

from the conception of political science to the conception of sociology

Abstract

This article deals with the contributions of Political Science and Sociology to the understanding of the State, evidencing a formalist and abstract perception in the field of the former and a substantialist and concrete perception in the field of the latter. However, the contributions of both areas present a convergence that evidences the role of mediation in conflicts of interest between individuals and groups as one of the most relevant played by him. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was verified that this mediation activity took place in a corporatist and nationalist scenario, having, during the second half of this century, transformed into a neo-corporatist and internationalist arrangement as an effect of the pluralism towards which the social composition walked. In this context, it was concluded that the sociological approach makes it possible to explain more clearly this mediation role exercised by the State in the face of different entities representing groups in an internationalized national environment. Furthermore, this approach has the potential to contribute to the research agenda aimed at understanding how pluralism led to the structuring of neocorporatism and how relationships and disputes between divergent interests at the international level occur and are structured, especially with regard to public governance and global governance, already structured in this scenario and that raise important discussions about legitimacy.