The difference between state and society is often not distinct. Attempts made to differentiate the two have not yielded significant results so far. On one hand, the state has historically been considered to be a regulatory organ. Although there are various theories that have been put forward to elucidate between the two terms, a common ground is yet to be reached.
Therefore, this has created myriad of complexities in outlining clear differences since it is largely believed that both the state and society are dependent of each other. In order to understand the difference between the two, both their definitions and roles should be determined.
The state can be defined as a system which has set rules and regulations that ensures the presence and regulation of norms for purposes of peaceful and harmonious co-existence. It is a system that is brought into being due to the need for mutual coexistence. Therefore, a state creates regulatory framework so that individuals within society can coexist harmoniously.
This appears to be similar according to non-conservatism theory put forward by Friedrich Hayek. The latter theorist believed that liberalism was the only way through which the rule of law could be upheld. Moreover, a state has myriad of ways through which it can enact and enforce legislations which society is expected to adhere to. At this point, a state acts as a driving force to society and therefore it stands out as an exceptional organ which the society must respect.
For situations and individuals to experience the presence of norms, entity behavior must be defined where each character in the situation is expected to adhere to certain stipulations in order ensure continual existence of norms. These create boundaries of social behavior as normally brought about by collective agreements that require individuals to make stringent observations.
Such collective consensuses have been witnessed in creation of guiding documents such as the constitution which leads to the creation of the law. This is also supported by Schmitt’s law of the exception which stated that sovereign determines emergency levels in situations that experience absence of norms.
Hence, the state intervention with regulatory approaches is inevitable to bring norms back into existence. The latter is exceptional especially when describing the difference between state and society.
A government is a body that ensures wellbeing of the society through upholding of social norms. These are the same functions carried out by the state. Hence, there are several similarities between government and state. However, according to the theorist Friedman, a government is in a position to do what individuals in society cannot do.
Sometimes, the government or state may fail to ensure existence of societal norms, especially when under threat from society for poor regulation; the state may opt to use absolute authority for the sake of its sustainability. The state may also become prominent when it imposes state-friendly norms while interpersonal norms are given less priority. State elements such as leaders and politicians end up amassing much power and wealth leading to rise in leadership.
On the other hand, society is a collection of different individuals with various norms and practices but with a common expectation. The society creates regulatory documents with collective vision such as the law to ensure coexistence. Although society does not individually carry the mandate of ensuring efficiency of regulations, it greatly influences the degree of efficiency of these regulations.
In order to ensure efficiency, society creates bodies in a similar way as the state or government, which are mandated to observe effectiveness of regulations. To a larger extent, society becomes a victim of the regulations and consequences resulting from failed norms.
In summing up, it is imperative to note that the difference between the state and society is quite small. The society is the foundational base for existence of norms and thus leads to the need for regulation of norms. It is out of the existence of society that the there is need to form a state.