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Most of the studies of the state, whether socio-historical, logical or philosophical, start with a tentative definition and describe and explain its current transformations, using a two-stage model (before/after). Rather than follow that path, I start with three of the main sub-disciplines of political science, political and economic sociology, policy analysis and political theory, and derive from their approaches their visions of the state as a product of social conflicts, a set of areas and sectors of policy-making, and an institutional centre endowed with symbolic values. The crossbreeding of the three perspectives are then outlined and some conclusions are drawn regarding comparative analysis and the distinction between government and governance.