THE NATIONAL STATE AND GOVERNMENT: PUBLIC POLICIES AS UNIVERSAL RIGHTS

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the emergence of the contemporary National State and public policies, seeking to understand the relations established between the National State and civil society. Furthermore, we investigated the composition of the State throughout history, how the policies that govern current society emerged, and how the State interacts with the lives of its population through its laws. We used the historical research method, adopting as our research methodology a bibliographic survey based on official documents, international documents, articles, books, and legal documents related to the theme addressed. Throughout this article, it was possible to analyze the State, policies, and their development within the contemporary capitalist State. We understand that the State is an institution organized through policies, which occupies a given territory and may be governed by a Constitution. It is made up of a government responsible for organizing and controlling public policies in society. We observed that policies are quite old, and it is through them that the State, by means of a constituted government, manages and administers its institutions. In contemporary times, public policies are influenced by neoliberalism and are correlated with a country's economy, and rights are often readjusted in the name of economic prosperity, to the detriment of citizens' rights such as health, education, and security.