A weak state? The relationship between public and private in the United States of America. A historical-institutional perspective

The article analyses the recent historiographical debate ongoing in the United States of America on the weakness of the American state. For classical historiography the United States are considered as a statelessness society. Most of the most recent studies on the American institutions are contesting the idea of weak State advocated by the classical historiography of the twentieth century. Considered this debate, the second part of the article focuses on the public-private governance in historical terms. It analyses the relationships of public-private governance through history and it shows cooperation between private and public institutions and the powerful penetration of the State within the American society.