# The State and Government in The Public and Its Problems

> Theme guide for The Public and Its Problems by John Dewey.

The text distinguishes between the state as a formal political organization and the broader, dynamic processes of governance and community life.

## Where it surfaces

- [I: Search for the Public](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/chapters/i-search-for-the-public): The chapter defines the state as the organization of the public through officials to protect shared interests, emphasizing its experimental and historical nature.
- [III: The Democratic State](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/chapters/iii-the-democratic-state): Dewey defines the state functionally as the organization of a public to secure its interests, and discusses the dual capacity of officials and the problem of representative government.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/themes/state_and_government
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_public_and_its_problems_se/themes