Alien Rule

This book argues that alien rule can become legitimate to the degree that it provides governance that is both effective and fair. Governance is effective to the degree that citizens have access to an expanding economy and an ample supply of culturally appropriate collective goods. Governance is fair to the degree that rulers act according to the strictures of procedural justice. These twin conditions help account for the legitimation of alien rulers in organizations of markedly different scale. The book applies these principles to the legitimation of alien rulers in states (the Republic of Genoa, nineteenth- and twentieth-century China, and modern Iraq), colonies (Taiwan and Korea under Japanese rule), and occupation regimes, as well as in less encompassing organizations such as universities (academic receivership), corporations (mergers and acquisitions), and stepfamilies. Finally, it speculates about the possibility of an international market in governance services.

'Alien Rule is a conceptually innovative and interesting book that blazes a theoretical trail on this important topic. The core of the book is the observation that one can find examples of alien rulers in a wide range of spheres who have managed to gain legitimacy and rule successfully. This frames the central puzzle of the book: under what conditions can alien rule produce legitimacy? Michael Hechter offers a stimulating discussion of a great variety of cases, one that perhaps he alone is able to provide due to his unusually broad intellectual engagement with multiple disciplines. This, combined with the fact that it is written by one of the world's leading sociologists, virtually guarantees the book will get substantial attention.' Henry E. Hale, The George Washington University, 'In Alien Rule, Michael Hechter builds on his path-breaking work on nationalism to develop a provocative new argument - that alien governance might actually be better than native governance. In an era of foreign bailouts and military occupations, the argument is sure to stir up debate, particularly the conclusion of the book that an 'international governance market' might provide better solutions to problems of state failure than other alternatives that people, states, and international organizations have considered to date.' Nicholas Sambanis, Yale University, 'Over the course of his career, Michael Hechter has examined the subtle interplay between dynamics of collective action and national identify formation and mobilization. Alien Rule is perhaps the most ambitious in this line of works in its scope … The simply posed puzzle, Hechter's disarmingly straight forward explanation, and a rabble-rousing selection of cases make the book a vital contribution to the analytical literature on empires, international hierarchy, and the sociology of organizations more broadly.' Alexander Cooley, Perspectives on Politics

Michael Hechter is Foundation Professor of Political Science at Arizona State University and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington. Author of Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe in British National Development, Principles of Group Solidarity, and Containing Nationalism, he has edited five books and written numerous articles in academic journals. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, his works have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Hungarian, and Georgian.