security

is that claim to protect the population from which modern state derive their legitimacy.

The transition from folk discourse about risk to an expert-centered commuication was preconditioned by a series of key historial events beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through the present time. Once necessary condition was the rise of the modern state with an implied responsibility for general social welfare functions. The modern state's legitimacy, in part, derives from its claim to protect the population from physical harm' (Plough 1987:5)

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